It's No Secret Who Ivanka Trump's Favorite Family Member Is
Ivanka Trump may have kept out of her father's 2024 campaign, prompting some to question if her relationship with Donald Trump has soured, but let's be real: she's never shied away from sharing how much she loves her family. Even so, one family member stands out, in particular. That would be her grandmother, or babi, Marie Zelnickova.
As the Czech "Babi" probably suggests, Zelnickova is Ivanka's maternal grandmother. And, given just how close Ivanka's relationship with her late mom Ivana Trump was, we're not exactly surprised that she had a tight bond with her babi, too. After all, just as Ivana had been a very present figure in Ivanka's life, the first daughter shared in an interview on the "Lex Fridman Podcast" that Zelnickova had played an active role in her and her brothers' upbringing, too.
On the podcast, Donald's eldest daughter also gushed about having her grandmother live with her. "That's very special," Ivanka said, before making a heartbreaking confession about one of the reasons she loves their living arrangement so much. "I can ask her some of the questions that I would have — sorry — wanted to ask my own mom," she said, tearing up as she did so. No two ways about it, Zelnickova has a special place in Ivanka's heart, and we're not surprised one bit.
Ivanka is grateful for the time she has with her grandmother
Another reason why Ivanka Trump is so happy to have her grandmother around is because of Marie Zelnickova's age. It's rare enough for someone in their 40s to have a grandparent around — and as Ivanka shared in a sweet Instagram post, Zelnickova turned 98 in September 2024. It's no surprise, then, that she wrote, "I'm deeply grateful for every moment we share."
Even with Zelnickova's advanced age, Ivanka has shared that her grandmother is just as sharp as she's always been. Case in point: in her 98th birthday tribute, Ivanka gushed, "Her stories and radiant spirit bring so much light into our lives." Similarly, the year prior, Ivanka wrote about Zelnickova's competitiveness at family game nights. And, in honor of her babi's birthday in 2019, she enthused, "My sweet and wickedly funny grandmother is 93 years young and still an epic raconteur and favored lunch date!"
Of course, even with her mental sharpness, Zelnickova is approaching 100, so it's not exactly shocking she has a live-in nurse. However, it's clear Ivanka and her family are very close with her, too. After all, as she said in one of her Instagram posts, the nurse, whose name is Rusa, "cares for Babi like family and has become part of ours." It certainly is a blessing that Zelnickova is still such a big part of her granddaughter's life — and something tells us the rest of her family isn't jealous of her being Ivanka's favorite lunchtime partner. They probably feel the same way.