Did Trump Bury Ex-Wife Ivana On His Golf Course To Save Taxes? Explained

It's been three years since US President Donald Trump buried his first wife, Ivana Trump, on the grounds of his New Jersey golf course, and this unusual decision is once again drawing attention. The reason? A potential tax benefit to the president.

Ivana, who died in July 2022 following a fall in her Manhattan home at the age of 73, was laid to rest at the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey, with no fence, flowers or public memorial, unlike traditional gravesites.

This caught the attention of many, who believed it was a potential financial strategy.

According to the New Jersey state tax code, any land used for cemeteries is exempt from all taxes, including real estate taxes.

Additionally, cemetery companies are excluded from paying business taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, inheritance taxes, and personal property taxes on their land, reports Fortune.

This means that by designating even a small portion of the golf course as a burial ground, the land could qualify for tax exemptions.

An Instagram post by a popular page recently shared a thread titled, "Why did Donald Trump bury his ex-wife on a golf course? It wasn't grief. It was a strategy." 

The post mentioned how having just one grave could have led to Trump registering the land as a non-profit cemetery company. This led to the entire golf course being tax-exempt.

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The 79-year-old has been accused of choosing the golf course as Ivana's burial site for more than just sentimental reasons.

The post mentioned, "Millions potentially saved in taxes. 150 feet from the clubhouse. The first hole now sits beside a legal loophole." 

But Trump dismissed these claims and expressed his desire to be buried in the 525-acre property. "This is such beautiful land, and Bedminster is one of the richest places in the country," he told Page Six.

According to documents made public by ProPublica, the Trump Family Trust previously applied to become a nonprofit cemetery organisation and establish a property near Hackettstown, about 20 miles from the golf course where Ivana is buried, reported Fortune.

Trump specifically chose this property for his final resting place as it is his favourite property, The Washington Post reported.