In May 2017, President Donald Trump embarked on his first foreign visit since taking office, and the trip produced so many viral moments, social media could barely keep up. There was the much-memed glowing orb, the questionable bow, and an awkward sword dance, but none of those moments come close to “the swat” seen ’round the world.
The Daily Beast reminded us that Melania also refused to hold Trump’s hand when they arrived in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. Is she trying to tell us something, or is she just not into middle-school PDA?
Given enough time, even the most perfect couple will eventually have a fight, but according to the Trumps, this has never happened to them.
Donald Trump echoed that claim to talk show host Larry King. “We literally have never had an argument; forget about the word ‘fight.’ We never even had an argument. We just are very compatible. We get along,” he said.
In January of 2000, Donald Trump confirmed to The New York Times that he and Melania Knavs had split, and he did it in the most Donald Trump way possible: surrounded by models at a Miss U.S.A pageant party.
The aforementioned episode was actually their second split. According to Melania’s friend and former roommate, fashion photographer Matthew Atanian, Donald and Melania had a falling out very early in their relationship. “She had some trust issues with him at the beginning … She kept her apartment to have her own space because of this,” Atanian said. They only stayed apart for a few months, but if accusations of infidelity and Donald’s political aspirations are still any kind of sticking point, this couple may be in for a rocky road ahead.
There have been multiple occasions where Melania Trump has found herself trying to explain away her husband’s unsavory comments. There was, of course, the time when she released a statement to denounce his infamous Access Hollywood scandal: “The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know.”
But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Trump’s chats with the so-called King of all Media. In September 2017, recordings from multiple interviews with Stern were published on Factbase (via Independent), revealing a slew of “locker room” style conversations between the future president and radio star.
You’ve seen that GIF that tore across the internet on the day of the inauguration ceremony the one in which Melania Trump smiles sweetly when Donald Trump turns to look at her, only to instantly transform when he turns back around. That was just one of many bizarre couple moments that occurred that day.
And, of course, probably the biggest “WTF!” moment was when they arrived at the White House to be greeted by the Obamas. Trump bounded out of the car and went right up the steps, leaving Melania to walk around the back of the vehicle and up the steps on her own. This was the first impression the new POTUS and FLOTUS made to the millions watching at home. While each incident can easily be chalked up to nervousness, some serious questions about their relationship have emerged.
According to Vanity Fair, Donald Trump met Melania Trump ne Knavs in 1998 at a party he attended with another date, Norwegian cosmetics heiress Celina Midelfart. While Midlefart was in the bathroom, Donald reportedly gave Melania his number, and they connected a few days later.
“She ran into Donald just at the right time. She was just about out of money, at the end of her rope and about to move back to Eastern Europe,” a source told the New York Post.
Melania Trump is one of the few first ladies in the history of the presidency to delay moving into the White House. The Trumps made it clear they wanted their son, Barron Trump, to be able to finish school in New York without interruption, yet questions remain about the level of involvement Melania will assume in the East Wing.
Scrutiny over Melania’s role as FLOTUS intensified after Donald’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, assumed an official role as special adviser to the president, creating much speculation that Ivanka could be the one performing duties typically reserved for the first lady.
We already mentioned how Melania Trump put off her move to Washington, D.C., but it should also be noted that the effort and expense involved in doing so has raised eyebrows. According to The Hill, it costs “between $127,000 and $146,000 a day for the New York Police Department (NYPD) to protect [Melania] and her son,” which resulted in a total cost of $24 million between Election Day and Inauguration Day alone, according to NYPD officials. Public outcry over the exorbitant expense prompted a change.org petition demanding FLOTUS either move to the White House or foot her own security bill.
We admit this one has to be viewed as pure speculation, but in light of all the other obvious weirdness in the Trumps’ marriage, we’re willing to consider the relatively benign claim that they don’t share a bed, which is, honestly, a pretty common practice among many couples. Anyway, according to “multiple sources” for Us Weekly, Melania Trump “refuses to share a bed with Donald even on the rare occasions when they sleep in the same city.” One insider described the practice as being “very royal of them,” in an obvious attempt to put a positive spin on the story.
Part of Melania Trump’s independence apparently includes fielding most of the parenting responsibilities to raise Barron Trump.
It’s not as if Melania was blindsided by Donald Trump’s “relaxed” attitude toward being a dad. In 2005, pre-Barron, the real estate mogul sat next to his new bride on Larry King Live and said, “Look, Larry, the way I look at it, there’s nothing like a good marriage and there’s nothing like having children. I have four great children. If you have the money, having children is great. Now, I know Melania. I’m not going to be doing the diapers. I’m not going to be making the food. I may never even see the kids. She will be an unbelievable mother. I’ll be a good father.”
It is clear that Melania Trump is willing to stand up for her husband, even in the face of some of his more disturbing controversies. But in the case of People reporter Natasha Stoynoff’s accusations of sexual assault against Donald Trump, Melania’s defense left some big questions unanswered. Stoynoff alleged that in 2005, she was interviewing the Trumps when a then-pregnant Melania left her alone with Donald. Stoynoff says he pushed her against a wall and shoved his tongue down her throat.
Did Melania decline to comment on the rest of the story because she believed the alleged assault happened, or did she simply not have the legal grounds to discuss it since she wasn’t in the room at the time? Either conclusion potentially speaks volumes about Melania’s responses to her husband’s controversies.
Former Mar-a-Lago butler Anthony Senecal may have inadvertently given us a peek behind the carefully managed curtain that is the Trump marriage when he tried to pay a compliment to Melania Trump.
If Senecal’s story is true, it suggests Melania may be stifling her true personality to appease Donald. Granted, these are the claims of a former employee, and hey, if it works for her, who are we to say she’s unhappy?
This is probably the weirdest item on this list, and it’s courtesy of a GQ profile that boldly dug up dirt on Viktor Knavs, Melania Trump’s dad. GQ discovered that Knavs is only five years older than Donald Trump and actually bears a resemblance to him in both looks and attire.
As for the paternal comparison, Melania is characteristically flattering. “They’re both hardworking. They’re both very smart and very capable. They grew up in totally different environments, but they have the same values, they have the same tradition. I myself am similar to my husband. 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,” she said.
