Vanessa Trump, the former daughter-in law of President Donald Trump, is in a relationship with golf star Tiger Woods. After weeks of speculation, the new couple made their romance official late last month, with Woods sharing photos of the two on social media.
“Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together,” the 49-year-old wrote. Vanessa, 47, shared the post on her Instagram story the same day.
The pair have reportedly been dating for several months and have been spotted at various golf events together. Vanessa’s former sister-in-law Ivanka Trump gave her blessing on the new relationship on Instagram, commenting, “So happy for you both!”
Before her relationship with Woods, Vanessa was married to Donald Trump Jr. for more than a decade. The former couple shares five children. Here’s what you should know about Vanessa, her ties to the Trump family, and her connection to golf.
Vanessa met Donald Jr. through his father
Working as a model and actor in her hometown of New York City, Vanessa Haydon first met Donald Jr. at a fashion show in Manhattan. The pair were introduced by his father, who was hosting the reality series The Apprentice at the time. During the fashion show’s intermission, the father-son duo approached her again.
“Donald comes back up to me again, ‘I don’t think you’ve met my son Donald Trump Jr.,’’ Vanessa recalled to The New York Times in 2006. “‘Yeah, we just met, five minutes ago,’” she responded. Six weeks later, they were reintroduced by a mutual friend at a birthday party. While Vanessa and Donald Jr. didn’t immediately remember each other, they hit it off and ended up talking for an entire hour.
Her engagement ring was free
After one year of dating, the couple got engaged in November 2004. Donald Jr. proposed to Vanessa with an engagement ring he received for free. While the ring was worth around $100,000, it was gifted to him in exchange for publicly proposing in front of the New Jersey jewelry store with paparazzi waiting for them.
The following year, in November 2005, Vanessa and Donald Jr. tied the knot in a ceremony at the future president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
She and Don Jr. have five children
During their marriage, Vanessa and Donald Jr. had five children together. Their oldest child, Kai Trump, was born in May 2007. The eldest of President Trump’s grandchildren, Kai has attracted a large following on social media in recent years.
After their daughter’s birth, Vanessa and Donald Jr. welcomed their first son, Donny, in February 2008. Next came their son, Tristan, who was born in October 2011, followed by another son named Spencer almost exactly 12 months later. Vanessa and Donald Jr.’s youngest, a daughter named Chloe, was born in June 2014.
Since their 2018 divorce, Vanessa and Don Jr. have been amicable co-parents
After 12 years of marriage, Vanessa filed for divorce in March 2018. “We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families,” she and Donald Jr. wrote in a joint statement at the time. Their divorce was finalized later that year but wasn’t publicized until February 2019.
Since their split, Vanessa and the president’s eldest son have remained amicable and continue to co-parent their five children. She has even shown up to several Trump family events and recently attended Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January.
Vanessa has close ties to her new boyfriend’s profession
The socialite is now in a relationship with Tiger Woods. While it’s unclear how they met and started dating, it’s worth noting that Vanessa and Tiger both have children at the same school. Her daughter, Kai, attends The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, as do the golf legend’s kids, Sam and Charlie.
Kai is an avid golfer and often plays in the same golf tournaments as Charlie. In addition to watching their children’s golf events, both Vanessa and Tiger were seen together at a TGL match in March several weeks before they announced their romance.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
