“Donald doesn’t want Marla to look like she’s against Ivana,” says Trump’s P.R. guru Chuck Jones. “Donald wants picture approval. Donald says to emphasize her early years.”

Notably, she did resist Trump’s insistence that she accept Playboy magazine’s million-dollar centerfold offer. “Trump himself was on the phone negotiating the fee,” remembers a top Playboy editor. “He wanted her to do the nude layout. She didn’t.” (“I’m thankful for my body, but I didn’t want to exploit it,” Marla offers. “How would I ever be taken seriously?”)