Donald Trump is set to return to the White House with his wife Melania following a remarkable landslide election victory, despite their tumultuous marriage that has spanned nearly two decades.
The 54-year-old former model has been under increased scrutiny throughout her husband’s 2016 presidential campaign, his four-year tenure as Commander in Chief (from 2017 to 2021), and the numerous scandals that have followed him since leaving the White House.
As she prepares to resume her role as First Lady next year, the spotlight on her will only intensify. Despite her unwavering loyalty, Melania has confessed that she and the controversial politician don’t always see eye to eye – except when it comes to sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House reveals that the couple were the first to sleep in separate rooms at the White House since John and Jackie Kennedy. According to Wolff, Trump has an unusual night-time routine – he reportedly demanded a key to his bedroom, locking out his wife and the secret service so he could indulge in cheeseburgers while watching three different televisions simultaneously.
Wolff also alleges that Trump likes to retire to bed at 6.30pm. It is thought that the former president prefers fast food from McDonald’s and other outlets due to his fear of being poisoned.
He believes that pre-prepared fast food is a safer option than other food sources, reports the Mirror.
The relationship between Donald and Melania has raised eyebrows, including those of the late Queen, according to claims in Craig Brown’s book ‘A Voyage Around The Queen’. The book alleges that after one of Mr Trump’s visits, the Queen mused over their relationship, suggesting that Mr Trump “must have some sort of arrangement” with his wife Melania.
She is also said to have taken issue with his habit of looking over her shoulder as if ‘”in search of others more interesting”. The book further claims that she found him “very rude”.
The Queen reportedly speculated on why Melania would stay married to him unless there was some kind of agreement. Despite this, Trump was confident he had been the Queen’s favourite guest ever.
The Trumps, who have been married since 2005 and share an 18 year old son, Barron, had a peculiar first encounter. In a 2016 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Melania confessed that Trump asked for her number while on a date with another woman.
She recalled: “He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so, of course I didn’t give it to him…I told you that I would call you, but I’m not giving you my number. Give it to me.”
A few days later, Melania reached out to her future husband, expressing her amazement at his “sense of vitality” and “energy”.
At the time, the property mogul was divorced from his ex-wife, Marla Maples. The pair began dating shortly after their first meeting, and in April 2004, Donald popped the question at the Met Gala.
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“That came as a huge surprise. We are very happy together,” Melania told the New York Post at the time. The following January, the couple tied the knot at Donald’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
In May 2005, during a joint appearance on Larry King Live, Melania described their marriage as “fantastic”. Madeleine Westerhout, who served as Trump’s executive assistant from 2017 to 2019, also shed light on their relationship during an emotional testimony after Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Describing their “special relationship”, she revealed that Melania wore the trousers in the relationship. She said: “He was my boss but she was definitely the one in charge I remember thinking their relationship was really special.”
Westerhout also disclosed that, during his presidency, Trump would call his wife from the Oval Office and ask her to look down from her window in the White House residence.
She said: “I could figure out he was on the phone with Mrs Trump. He would say, ‘Honey, come over to the window’. He would say, ‘Come to the window’ and (they would) wave to each other.”
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