Melania and Donald Trump’s marriage has long been thought to be an enigma of sorts in the public eye. While the couple has been together since the late 1990s, many have speculated that their relationship is built less on love and more on convenience. From their large age difference (Melania is more than 20 years younger than her husband), strange interactions in public (her hand swatting, anyone?), and the lack of time the couple reportedly spend together — there’s a lot about their partnership that the American public doesn’t understand.
But Donald and Melania have managed to stick together for decades, overcoming some intense obstacles in their years together. Not only has the former model stuck by her husband through various scandals, but she also upended her life to become the first lady when he took over as president in 2016. It’s not an easy task, but one the Slovenian native took on with pride, becoming the second foreign-born woman to take the office. 
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It’s no secret that a split between Melania and Donald would cause a big stir — especially since the former president is running for a second term. Their mutually beneficial relationship has taken them to the highest office in the United States, and it doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon. While PDA might not be their strong suit, there are far more reasons for the couple to stay together than file for divorce. Here’s a look at all the possible reasons Melania and Donald Trump haven’t split yet.
A Marriage Built On Convenience?
Donald Trump’s track record with marriages isn’t exactly the best — to say the least. Three must be the charm for the former commander-in-chief, however, who was married twice before, first to his ex-wife Ivana, and later to Marla Maples, before tying the knot with Melania. Donald has a reputation for being with women decades younger than him (except Ivana), with many speculating that his wives and girlfriends stuck with him due to his incredible financial and business influence.
The same was said about Melania, who met Trump as a young twenty-something after she left her life in Slovenia behind for a struggling international modeling career. “She ran into Donald just at the right time,” an insider told the New York Post. “She was just about out of money, at the end of her rope and about to move back to Eastern Europe.” Trump afforded Melania new opportunities with enough financial backing to pursue them, which may be the reason their relationship has managed to stay afloat for so many years.
Years later, Melania’s influence in her husband’s political career may be much bigger than many realize. Sources close to the couple claimed the former first lady kept her husband level-headed while in the Oval Office, and she knew what she was signing up for well before he launched his 2016 campaign. “She has stood by him and will continue to stand by him because she is just like him,” an insider told the Washington Post. “It’s a completely transactional marriage for both.”
Melania And Donald Are Much More Similar Than They Seem
While some may think that Donald and Melania Trump are wildly different people — think again. Perhaps a reason why the couple has managed to weather decades together is due to the many similarities between the pair. “I myself am similar to my husband,” she once told GQ. “Do you understand what I mean? So is my dad; he is a family man, he has tradition, he was hardworking. So is my husband.”
Despite Melania hailing from humble roots in a then-Communist-ruled Slovenia and Trump being a trust-fund baby, the two have a shared set of ideals. When it comes to business, Donald isn’t the only one who knows a thing about “The Art of the Deal.” Melania once launched her own successful jewelry line on QVC that sold out within an hour, as well as a caviar-infused skincare line. Though the latter was less successful, she did manage to win a lawsuit against the brand’s former promoters.
In addition to their similarities, Melania may know a thing or two about bending the truth — a quality Donald is infamous for. Based on information from Melania’s former colleagues, Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan alleged that the former model has misrepresented her true age to reporters, as well as lied about not undergoing plastic surgery, and the number of languages she speaks. “She is … much more like him than it appears,” wrote Jordan in “The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump” (via The Washington Post).
Melania And Her Son Barron Have A Financial Stake In The Marriage
Melania Trump may have learned a thing or two in terms of negotiation from her husband. The former model made headlines in 2017 when she decided to linger behind in New York with her and Donald’s son Barron while her husband moved into the White House to start his presidency. At the time, the decision was believed to be about Barron finishing out the school year uninterrupted, but new reports years later speculate that Melania might have had a financial motive to remain in the Big Apple.
As Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan revealed in her book “The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump,” Melania’s real motive for not moving to the White House was “to amend her financial arrangement with Trump — what Melania referred to as ‘taking care of Barron.'” In other words, the former model’s prenup with her husband was reportedly not up to her standards, and she stayed in New York as leverage while she negotiated a better deal.
Similar reports of renegotiations made headlines in 2023 when RadarOnline reported that Melania was threatening her husband for more money in their prenup. The news came after a civil court ordered Donald to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll in defamation and battery damages related to a 1996 sexual assault. Word is that the former first lady is using her bargaining tools ahead of Donald’s 2024 presidential run. “Melania is most concerned about maintaining and increasing a substantial trust for their son, Barron,” a source told Page Six.
Melania And Donald Are Happy To Spend Time Apart
Melania and Donald Trump are more than happy to spend time apart — even if it means sleeping on entirely different floors. The couple have made plenty of headlines from speculation that they spend more time apart than they do together, but that may be one of the reasons why their marriage has withstood nearly two decades.
According to CNN correspondent Kate Bennett’s book “Free, Melania: The Unauthorized Biography” (per Business Insider), Donald slept in the master suite on the White House’s second level, while Melania slept in a separate two-room suite on the third floor. But Bennett’s claims aren’t the only ones that have been circulating about Melania and Trump’s separate living situations. In 2006, a former Playboy model who claimed to have an affair with Donald said she toured Trump Tower with the “Apprentice” star and was shown Melania’s separate bedroom, per The New Yorker.
Melania and Donald Trump living separate lives may be one of the keys to their marriage, as author Mary Jordan seems to think. “I don’t know any couple that spends as much time apart,” Jordan told The Guardian. “They are often in the same building, but nowhere near each other. She rarely goes into the West Wing. She doesn’t like to golf. She has her own little spa. She likes to be isolated. She is a loner. He is a loner. They’re perfectly happy to be separated.”
Melania Was Committed To The Relationship Even Before They Were Married
It’s not unheard of for any new partner to want to know a bit about their boyfriend or girlfriend’s past. Some harmless Instagram stalking may be the norm, or perhaps a little read-up on a husband’s autobiographies to get a feel for them? In the case of Melania Trump, the former first lady worked hard to get a read on Donald early on.
According to Mary Jordan’s book, “The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump” (per Slate) the Slovenian native reportedly read all 17 of her husband’s ghostwritten books about himself to learn more about his past relationships and what he was like. “Melania seemed to be much more committed to being his partner for the long term,” Jordan wrote in her book. “Melania praised him constantly. She had few friends and a small family and seemed focused solely on Trump.”
Perhaps Melania paid particular heed to Donald’s quote in “The Art of the Comeback” (via New York Times) saying, “There is high maintenance. There is low maintenance. I want no maintenance.” Jordan wrote, “[Melania] was always impeccably dressed, her hair and makeup just so, never sloppy, always camera-ready.” Those standards seemed to continue even when the pair split briefly, early on in their relationship. In order to show her future husband her commitment, she remained loyal. “She continued to do exactly what Trump liked during their breakup period,” Jordan wrote. “She stayed in; she dated no one.” With Donald’s track record for alleged affairs, can the same be said for the former president?
Melania Defends Many Of Donald’s Controversial Decisions
A first lady’s job relies on supporting the president and his various ideals — or biting one’s tongue if required to. Melania Trump knows a thing or two about that, as the former first lady has stood by her husband on a variety of his beliefs. While she may not always agree with him, the couple has continued to remain a united front.
No one can forget when Donald pressured Barack Obama to release copies of his original birth certificate after claiming the then-president was not a natural-born citizen. While his claims were later debunked, Donald didn’t give up his fight easily, and he had Melania by his side to hammer down his erroneous statements. In an interview on the “Joy Behar Show” in 2011, Melania insisted, “It’s not only Donald who wants to see [Obama’s birth certificate], it’s American people who voted for him and who didn’t vote for him. They want to see that.”
However, a little discord is healthy within a marriage. According to NPR, the former first lady pushed back on Donald’s controversial immigration ban that separated families at the Southern border. In 2018, a White House official told the publication that Melania put pressure on her husband to prevent undocumented immigrant families from being separated. She also released a statement via her spokesperson at the time contradicting Donald’s views, saying that she “hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform.”
Single Presidents Have A History Of Not Being Elected
When was the last time a president was seen running for office without a future first lady by his side? For over a century, presidents have entered the White House with a spouse, and it’s a long-standing tradition that candidates don’t seem eager to break.
Historically, the last unmarried president elected to America’s House was Grover Cleveland in 1886, but he soon rectified that by getting married during his first term. There was only one man ever to become president of the United States without a first lady by his side, James Buchanan, who became commander-in-chief in 1857 and never married.
Lindsay Graham was in a similar scenario when he ran for president ahead of the 2016 election without a partner, but he dropped out of the race in 2015. While his lack of a first lady wasn’t what took him out of the race, it did cause some chatter. “We’ll have a rotating first lady,” Graham previously joked in an interview with the Daily Mail.
That being said, there’s no question that Melania will automatically bolster Donald’s 2024 presidential run by appealing to women on the fence and helping to sway their opinions. According to author Mary Jordan, Melania is behind much of her husband’s actions on the campaign trail. “She’s the first call he makes after a speech or a rally, because he trusts her — he doesn’t trust many people — and she watches on TV,” Jordan told The Guardian.
Melania Has Stood By Her Husband Even After Numerous Affair Rumors
Donald Trump has weathered firestorm after firestorm of controversies in his career — most of the time with him at the center. Melania has stood unwaveringly by his side through it all, even when it attacks their marriage.
Donald has been accused of sexual misconduct by 26 women, according to Business Insider, stemming from the 1970s to the present day. But those allegations don’t mean much to the former model. “It is not concern and focus of mine,” she told ABC News in 2018. “I’m a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do. I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage.” She went on to add, “It’s not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true or not true.”
The former president was found liable in 2023 for sexually abusing former columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, after which he was ordered to pay $5 million in damages. Strangely, the numerous accusations against Melania and her husband may have made her feel even closer to him. Journalist and author Mary Jordan seems to think so, as she told The Sunday Times (via New Zealand Herald), “What I heard over and over again was that a bunker mentality developed, and she felt closer to him because both of them were taking criticism.” Either way, with Donald’s presidential campaign already underway, it’s very unlikely that Melania would walk anytime soon.
Melania Wants To Be America’s First Lady Once Again
Life seemed pretty breezy in the East Wing for Melania Trump, and she is ready to return to take another stab at being first lady in 2025. The Slovenian native admitted she is ready to get back to work in the White House, and she seems to have a lot of faith in her husband’s ability to serve as president. “My husband achieved tremendous success in his first administration, and he can lead us toward greatness and prosperity once again,” she told Fox News. In fact, she admitted she has plenty of things on her own agenda if Donald is elected in 2024.
Melania said she is excited to work toward “restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength,” which includes heading many of her former campaigns targeted toward the safety and well-being of children. She previously launched her “Be Best” initiative while serving as first lady, which aimed to increase online safety and prevent cyberbullying in America’s youth. Melania also started the “Fostering the Future” initiative, intended to grant scholarships to kids aging out of the foster care system who had an interest in pursuing careers in the technology field. “My objective is to reduce the gap and increase access to higher education for those who leave the foster care system,” she told the publication. This all rides on whether or not Donald can secure victory in the 2024 election, so it’s unlikely that Melania will be jumping ship anytime soon.
