Donald Trump in 1994: 'Putting a Wife to Work Is a Very Dangerous Thing'
He compared women in his life to buildings.
— -- In a 1994 interview with ABC News, Donald Trump reflected on the women in his life and what he believed the virtues and perils of their career success meant for his marriages. He compared his role in their professional lives to how he developed buildings.
“I love creating stars. And to a certain extent, I've done that with Ivana. To a certain extent, I've done that with Marla. And I like that," Trump told "Primetime Live" correspondent Nancy Collins in an interview that aired on March 10, 1994.
“Unfortunately, after they're a star, the fun is over for me," he continued. "It's like a creation process, it's almost like creating a building. It's pretty sad.”
Trump also shared his views about the women in his life having careers, saying he had mixed feelings on the idea of then-wife Marla Maples working.
“I have days where I think it's great. And then I have days where, if I come home -- and I don't want to sound too much like a chauvinist -- but when I come home and dinner's not ready, I go through the roof," he said.
Trump also said his marriage to former wife Ivana fell apart primarily because he hired her in a management role at Trump Castle Casino in Atlantic City.
“I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing,” Trump said. “If you're in business for yourself, I really think it's a bad idea to put your wife working for you. I think it's a really bad idea. I think that was the single greatest cause of what happened to my marriage with Ivana.”
He said after he noticed a change in her demeanor while she was working for him, that changed his feelings toward her.
“Ivana would get angry at somebody over the telephone, all of a sudden, who was at the casino, and she'd start shouting. And I'd say, 'I don't want my wife shouting at somebody like that, I really don’t want that.'" Trump said.
“And a softness disappeared,” he continued. "There was a great softness to Ivana, and she still has that softness, but during this period of time, she became an executive not a wife.”