The scenes were memorable during the first Trump presidency: Often, then-President Donald Trump seemed to be trying to hold hands with his wife, Slovenia-born former
model Melania Trump. But he was not always successful, as sometimes she actually
swatted away his hand and annulled his attempts – sometimes in front of the world’s
media.
Things went especially sour as it was reported that he had paid $130,000 to a former
porn star, Stormy Daniels, to keep an alleged one-night stand in 2016 secret.
At the beginning of 2018, this affair (which he denies) and another, allegedly much
longer one with former Playboy model Karen McDougal (she received a hush-money
payment of $150,000 from the Trump-friendly tabloid National Enquirer), was all over
the news. Both gave interviews to CNN describing the sexual encounters with the
entertainer and businessman at the time.
It was easy to recognize that Melania did not seem amused by the headlines. Even
worse, she had been pregnant throughout much of the McDougal affair and was
breastfeeding son Barron, then about four months old, when her husband allegedly
invited porn star Daniels to his hotel suite in Lake Tahoe, CA.
But Melania stuck with him throughout Trump’s first presidency, even as she lost
interest in much of her role as First Lady. She spent most of her time in her private
rooms in the east wing of the White House. Her staff started to convert the offices
where normally First Ladies work on their agenda into a storage room of sorts, where
presents were kept for Mrs. Trump to choose for special visitors or events. This activity
was one of the few things she enjoyed.
Melania, Trump’s third wife, was a reluctant First Lady for sure. She moved to the White
House five months after the inauguration of Trump as the 45th US President allow
son Barron to finish his school year in New York. She always considered her upbringing
of Trump’s fifth child her main goal, and everything else that came after, even her duties in
the White House.
Melania Trump was born Melanija Knavs in Slovenia and started her career as a
model at the age of 16. She worked in Vienna, Milan, and Paris before migrating to the
US in 1996. Two years after modeling in New York, she was introduced by
businessman Paolo Zampolli to then-real estate mogul Donald Trump. They started
dating and got married in 2005; a year later, Barron was born. Her modeling career
winding down, and she started her own jewelry brand, Melania, in 2009.
Speculations have been heating up about her possible role in her husband’s new
presidential candidacy and in the White House, should he win and she return as First
Lady again. Media reports had recently pointed out that she prefers to stay out of the
media spotlight as much as she can. She did join him during his official announcement
of his 2024 campaign back in 2022 but has been absent from the campaign trail and
other political events as well.
She also stayed away from his four arraignments after criminal indictments last year, as
well as the current trial which got underway in New York. It seems of little surprise that
she has no interest in those legal proceedings with a witness list containing two former
alleged mistresses of her husband.
Bizarrely enough, he just wished her a Happy Birthday in the hallways of the New York
County Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan.
But it was also reported that she could commence a more active role in the campaign as
she already hosted a fundraiser at the Florida resort Mar-a-Lago. But as always, predictions are difficult since one thing is known about Melania. She has a mind of her own – and a steadfast one for sure.
