Ivana Trump is promoting a diet plan that she says fights against obesity — not that she thinks anyone in her family needs it.
The 69-year-old first wife of President Donald Trump was in New York City on Wednesday to shill for the Italiano Diet, which she has teamed up with diet creator Gianluca Mech to promote.
Speaking to several outlets about the diet plan, Ivana noted that not only has she managed to maintain her weight all her life, but her kids are all ‘tall and slim’ and her ex-husband is ‘very healthy’ as well.
New gig: Ivana Trump is the new spokesperson for a diet plan aimed at fighting obesity
![Promo: The 69-year-old is promoting The Italiano Diet and gave a press conference about it this week](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/17/4D35DCA100000578-5841861-Promo_The_69_year_old_is_promoting_The_Italiano_Diet_and_gave_a_-m-79_1528994385274.jpg)
Promo: The 69-year-old is promoting The Italiano Diet and gave a press conference about it this week
![But wait! Ivana said that when she was first approached about the job, she didn't know how she could be the spokesperson for obesity, because, 'I'm slim'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D34A16B00000578-5844599-image-a-3_1528988878204.jpg)
But wait! Ivana said that when she was first approached about the job, she didn’t know how she could be the spokesperson for obesity, because, ‘I’m slim’
![Maintaining: She also said she has never struggled with her weight or gained in her life](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D35DDB100000578-5841861-Maintaining_She_also_said_she_has_never_struggled_with_her_weigh-a-70_1528990570308.jpg)
Maintaining: She also said she has never struggled with her weight or gained in her life
Ivana held a press conference in the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel on June 13 to talk up the Italiano diet, a customized program that ‘uses herbal extracts to detoxify and purify the body’ and ‘eliminates fat while keeping muscle,’ according to its website.
According to the New York Times, it involves eating low-calorie packaged meals, including $20 cookies, $24 crunchy bars with berries, and $14 pasta. A 45-day kit is $749.
The former model wore a knee-length red lace dress for the press conference, accessorizing with metallic pumps, a glitzy purple necklace, and matching tassel earrings.
According to the diet’s founder, Mech, Ivana has no reason to try his diet herself — and she wondered at first why Mech wanted her to be the face of his brand.
‘I said, “How can I be spokesperson for obesity? I’m slim,”‘ she told the New York Post.
Since then, though, she’s come on board, and has plenty to say about the obesity problem in the US. Speaking to the Times, she said mothers and fathers are to blame for obesity.
![Pucker up! Ivana received a kiss on both cheeks from a friend as she made her way up to the podium to begin talking](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/17/4D3542FC00000578-5841861-image-m-83_1528994476692.jpg)
Pucker up! Ivana received a kiss on both cheeks from a friend as she made her way up to the podium to begin talking
![Team: She promoted the plan with its founder, Gianluca Mech (right)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D34E44300000578-5841861-Team_She_promoted_the_plan_with_its_founder_Gianluca_Mech_right_-a-71_1528990582101.jpg)
Team: She promoted the plan with its founder, Gianluca Mech (right)
![On mom and dad: Ivana blamed the obesity problem on parents, saying kids will eat whatever is put in front of them](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D34FF1400000578-5841861-On_mom_and_dad_Ivana_blamed_the_obesity_problem_on_parents_sayin-a-72_1528990595686.jpg)
On mom and dad: Ivana blamed the obesity problem on parents, saying kids will eat whatever is put in front of them
![She spoke about the problem at The Plaza in New York City on Wednesday, where she wore a red lace dress and purple jewlery](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D35DC3100000578-5841861-She_spoke_about_the_problem_at_The_Plaza_in_New_York_City_on_Wed-a-73_1528990602081.jpg)
She spoke about the problem at The Plaza in New York City on Wednesday, where she wore a red lace dress and purple jewlery
!['I was always very disciplined — I didn’t gain weight my whole life,' she said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D35314800000578-5841861-_Good_genes_Ivana_added_that_all_of_her_children_and_grandchildr-a-7_1528991434665.jpg)
!['I was always very disciplined — I didn’t gain weight my whole life,' she said (pictured in 1992)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D3C005100000578-5841861-image-m-6_1528991408525.jpg)
‘I was always very disciplined — I didn’t gain weight my whole life,’ she said (pictured right in 1992)
‘It’s all on the parents,’ she said. ‘Whatever they put on the plate in front of the children, they’re hungry, they don’t cook, they eat. So if you put food in front of them that’s junk — pizza, unhealthy food, French fries — of course they eat it, and then they get obese.’
She never did such a thing with her own kids, whom she said are all in great shape. Even though she said that she didn’t have much time to cook for her kids while she was raising them — she was too busy working — she still found ways for them to eat right.
‘None of my kids are obese — they’re all tall and slim and handsome and smart. And the grandkids are exactly the same — good genes,’ she said.
As for her ex-husband, Ivana thinks he’s doing just fine in terms of his weight and health, too.
‘He looks very, very good and is very healthy — his only weakness is the Big Mac, what can I tell you?’ she said.
That isn’t to say she hasn’t tried to get him to pick better foods. She added: ‘I can tell him 100 times, but he does what he wants anyway.’
!['Good genes': Ivana added that all of her children and grandchildren are 'tall and slim and handsome and smart'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D3C003A00000578-5841861-image-a-8_1528991449296.jpg)
‘Good genes’: Ivana added that all of her children and grandchildren are ‘tall and slim and handsome and smart’
![Busy: She admitted, though, that she didn't have much time to cook for them when they were kids (pictured left to right: Don Jr., Ivana, Eric, and Ivanka)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/17/4D3C2CCB00000578-5841861-image-a-9_1528992566880.jpg)
Busy: She admitted, though, that she didn’t have much time to cook for them when they were kids (pictured left to right: Don Jr., Ivana, Eric, and Ivanka)
![His own way: Ivana discussed her ex-husband's love of fast food, saying she's told him '100 times' to lay off, but he does what he wants](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D3C004300000578-5841861-image-a-3_1528991339764.jpg)
His own way: Ivana discussed her ex-husband’s love of fast food, saying she’s told him ‘100 times’ to lay off, but he does what he wants
Over the years, she went on, she saw his weight go up from 178lbs to 225lbs, which she insists is still not evidence of him being in bad shape.
As for her own figure, she said she has never had a problem maintaining her weight. She occasionally splurges on KFC or a hot dog from a street vendor (with no bun).
‘I was always very disciplined — I didn’t gain weight my whole life,’ she said.
Despite her claims that her ex is ‘healthy,’ though, much has been written about Trump’s weight.
In January, the White House released a summary of his health from his physician, in which Dr. Ronny L. Jackson wrote, ‘The President’s overall health is excellent.’
It also listed his height and weight and went on to say, ‘We discussed diet, exercise, and weight loss. He would benefit from a diet that is lower in fat and carbohydrates and from a routine exercise regimen.’
At 239lbs with a height of 6’3″, his BMI classifies him as overweight, and only a tenth of a point away from being clinically obese.
He also has a widely-known affinity for fast food, and has been pictured eating McDonald’s on multiple occasions.
![Flashback: The two starred in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1995](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D3C002400000578-5841861-image-a-5_1528991348162.jpg)
Flashback: The two starred in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1995
![Moderation: She said she, too, has guilty pleasures, like KFC — but will do things like buy a hotdog without a bun](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/14/16/4D3C002900000578-5841861-image-a-4_1528991341737.jpg)
Moderation: She said she, too, has guilty pleasures, like KFC — but will do things like buy a hotdog without a bun
Despite a recorded height and weight that already put him at overweight, Trump faced criticism after the report was published, from people who doubted he weighed just 239lbs.
Some went on to jokingly call themselves ‘girthers,’ a play on ‘birthers’ like Trump, who doubted that President Obama was actually born in the United States, despite his public birth certificate.
‘Has anyone coined “girther” for those who believe the president weighs more than his doctor reports?’ asked MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Twitter Several memes also popped up on social media.
Whether the public mockery got to him or he simply followed the advice of his doctor, Trump has reportedly been on a mission to lose weight.
According to CNN, he has acknowledged privately that he would like to shed pounds, and the kitchens in the White House are preparing food accordingly.
Chefs have been told to limit fat and calories after consulting with a dietitian from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
For the past five months, the outlet says, he has made small changes, like eating fish instead of steak and eating hamburgers with just half of the bun.
‘He’s more enthusiastic about the diet part than the exercise part, but we’re going to do both,’ Dr. Jackson said.