Melania Trump made headlines this week when sources suggested she might not live with her husband if he were re-elected, breaking a two-and-a-half-century tradition for women in the White House.
But for anyone familiar with the fiercely independent model turned first lady, the news won’t come as a surprise.
Melania has been steadily distancing herself from frontline politics for years, having previously admitted that she has her “own mind” – something she says Trump “likes” about her.
She was conspicuously absent from court hearings in May and even long before that — during her husband’s first term in office — she avoided the typical responsibilities of a first lady.
But is this separation of their personal and political lives the secret to their 19-year marriage? DailyMail.com looks back on their unconventional and deeply independent relationship here.
Melania has earned a reputation for being more than just Donald Trump’s rich wife — she’s also made it clear that she’s herself beyond her headline-making husband.
Shortly after Trump took office in 2016, Melania gave an interview in which she stated her desire to stay out of the spotlight.
“I choose not to do politics in public because that is my husband’s job,” she said. harper’s bazaar.
‘I am very political in my private life, and between my husband and I I know everything that is happening. I have my own mind. I’m my own person and I think my husband likes that about me.’
Instead, she has repeatedly insisted that her top priority is her son Barron, whom she gave birth to in 2006 when she was 35.
Despite being able to have as many babysitters as she wanted, the Slovenian-born mother decided to raise him without outside help.
“I like to be involved. I think it’s very important. He needs someone to act as a father there, so I’m with him all the time. As you know, my husband travels all the time,” she said. People magazine in 2015, when Barron was nine years old.
Melania surprised everyone on June 14 when she did not attend Trump’s 78th birthday party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. They are pictured together in November 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida.
While the public has speculated about tension between the Trumps, with Melania notably absent from his court hearings, that distance has been key to their marriage. They are pictured here in 2016 at the Republican National Convention.
Before her life collided with frontline politics, Melania had a modeling career, which began after photographer Stane Jerk discovered her at the age of 16 in 1987.
He found success in Paris and Milan before moving to New York City, at age 26, and later landing a Camel cigarette ad in Times Square.
At that time, she maintained her figure by walking around her house with weights on her ankles and eating seven pieces of fruit a day (she still respects this last piece of advice today)..
Her favorites are peaches and apples.
He also likes to have smoothies with spinach, carrots and blueberries for breakfast, accompanied by apple juice and fat-free yogurt.
She met Trump in 1998 and the couple married in 2005.
She is now an entrepreneur in her own right thanks to her skincare line and jewelry collections. She has even guest-hosted ‘The View’ on several occasions.
In an interview with Parenting Magazine, Melania explained how she and her husband maintained their own independence.
“My life is very normal, for me. Maybe for some people it isn’t, but for me it is. I know my husband. We have a great relationship. We are both very independent. We know what our roles are and we are happy with them,” she said.
‘I don’t think you need to be with your husband every minute of every day.
An episode of Inside Edition titled ‘Melania Trump’s Diet’ in 2019
Before meeting her husband, Melania was a model and was discovered by photographer Stane Jerk at age 16 in 1987. She appears on the cover of Vogue after her wedding to Trump.
Reports indicate she plans to stay away from DC and move closer to her 18-year-old son Barron (right) amid rumors he may attend New York University.
‘Both people should do what they’re passionate about and then get together in the morning and in the evening and share and experience life and have a good time. You know that saying, ‘Work hard and play harder’? That’s what we do.’
Still, Melania surprised everyone on June 14 when she did not attend Trump’s 78th birthday party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
It may be due in part to the former president’s hatred of the celebration.
His ex-wife Ivanka once claimed: “Donald hates his birthday.”
And the politician himself reprimanded his followers in Las Vegas who tried to sing Happy Birthday to him this year.
He told them, ‘You know, there comes a time when you don’t want to hear ‘Happy Birthday.’ All they want to do is pretend that the day doesn’t exist.’
But Melania didn’t even share a birthday message for her husband on social media, sparking dozens of headlines.
Analysts are now speculating that she will not join Trump in the White House if he wins another term in November.
She will likely split her time between Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City, especially since Barron, 18, plans to attend New York University.
Melania Trump made headlines when rumors circulated that she might not live with her husband if he was re-elected, breaking a two-and-a-half-century precedent for White House wives. The couple is pictured here in 2007 with their son Barron, who was then a baby.
Melania will reportedly only travel to Washington, DC for ceremonial responsibilities such as state dinners and other special events.
The decision not to live in Washington is an unprecedented move for a first lady. But it’s not unexpected, given that she spent much of her husband’s first term in the city’s suburbs with her parents.
“She is distancing herself even further from her husband and from the social political scene in Washington,” Kate Andersen Brower, who has written several books about first ladies, told the BBC. axios.
‘I mean he clearly hated being in Washington.’
Next month, the former first lady will host the conservative LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans for a fundraiser at Trump Tower in New York.
Asked last month if Americans could expect to see more of her on the campaign trail soon, Melania simply replied: “Stay tuned.”