Amid speculation about her limited role in Donald Trump's campaign, Melania Trump remains a figure of intrigue, choosing to make few public appearances alongside her husband. Meanwhile, Donald Trump recently addressed and dismissed swirling divorce rumors, emphasizing the strength of their marriage during a public event.
For some time, Melania Trump has made it abundantly clear that appearing in public with her husband is not one of her top priorities. It's unclear whether this is because she's too busy with other commitments, has developed a nut-like allergy to him and breaks out in hives when they're in the same room, or despises the guy.
However, she has been conspicuously absent from the campaign trail, raising questions about whether she will ever campaign for her husband. The answer is yes, but she still decides how much time she will spend in his presence.
“She’ll definitely have a role, but in terms of what that is, I don’t know. It is her decision on how much or how little she will be campaigning,” an unnamed source told CNN. According to the outlet, numerous sources have stressed that there is no indication of Melania Trump having a ramped-up role anytime soon, while also cautioning that at any point, she could make the decision to hit the trail on her own accord.
"She is very selective and methodical in what she wants to do and how she presents herself." She is very decisive about these things and understands that they have many intended and unintended consequences,” a source close to Donald Trump claimed, as per Vanity Fair.
According to CNN, the former first lady's role at this summer's Republican National Convention "hasn't quite been nailed down," and while she's expected to take part, her absence thus far has raised many questions.
Her absence on Super Tuesday—one of her husband’s biggest nights of his campaign—raised eyebrows earlier this month. She didn’t appear at the campaign’s victory event at the couple’s Mar-a-Lago resort. “This was an amazing night, an amazing day—it’s been an incredible period of time in our country’s history,” Donald said during his speech that night, later thanking his family. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Tiffany Trump were there.
Melania has made only two formal public appearances for her husband’s reelection bid—the kickoff of his campaign in November 2022 and just last week, when she appeared with him to vote in the Florida presidential primary. Afterward, while standing next to him speaking to reporters, the former first lady was asked when she [was] going to return to the campaign trail with her husband. “Stay tuned,” she said with a smile.
In an interview with Megyn Kelly last year, Donald Trump explained Melania’s absence from the campaign trail due to her deep personality and high self-esteem. "I think part of the beauty is that mystery," the former POTUS told Kelly. "She's introspective and confident; she doesn't need to be interviewed by you to be ripped apart without reason. She does not need to be out there. She's confident; she has a lot of self-esteem."
Meanwhile, when Donald Trump attended a recent gathering, he discussed divorce. Last Friday, the former president went to a friend's wedding rehearsal at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. At Jarod and Alexa Malnik's rehearsal dinner, Donald appeared to reassure the couple, who were about to marry, while also addressing divorce rumors involving himself and his wife, Melania Trump.
"This is a great couple. Nobody gets divorced ever when they get married at Mar-a-Lago. People, 20 years later, say it's the greatest marriage ever," Donald told guests, an unnamed source told Page Six.
Recent speculation surrounding the marriage of former President Donald Trump and Melania Trump has intensified following observations of the couple's separate departures from the funeral of Melania's mother, Amalija Knavs, earlier this year. Additionally, Melania's absence from several of Donald Trump's public appearances has fueled further rumors.
Sources close to the family suggest that Melania prefers the privacy of home life with their son, Barron Trump, who celebrated his 18th birthday on March 20. Nevertheless, she makes appearances alongside her husband for specific events.
For instance, Melania was notably absent from Donald Trump's Super Tuesday celebration. Still, she was present days later to greet and host Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán alongside her husband, where she was notably taken aback by a bouquet from Orbán, dressed in an elegant all-white pantsuit.
During a victory speech in Iowa, Donald lavished praise on his wife, referring to her as an "incredible wife" and honored his late mother-in-law. "I want to thank my incredible wife, first lady, I'll say former and maybe future. But more importantly, I want to thank her incredible, beautiful mother who passed away a few days ago. She's up there, looking down, and she's so proud of us. Amalija, 'You are special. One of the most special people I've ever known,'" Trump said.
According to a 2005 interview with Larry King, the couple has always maintained they are highly compatible, rarely engaging in arguments. "We're just very compatible. There's great chemistry and energy between us," Melania Trump noted, echoing her husband's sentiments.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former aide to Melania Trump, has previously described the Trumps' marriage as "transactional" but quickly added that it seems to work well for both parties involved.
