The White House is forcefully denying claims made by author Michael Wolff that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are "separated" and leading "separate lives," after renewed attention to the first lady's infrequent presence at the White House during Trump's second term.
Wolff, a longtime Trump critic and author of several books on the former president, said Tuesday on The Daily Beast Podcast: "They clearly do not in any way inhabit a marriage as we define marriage. And I think maybe we can more specifically say they live separate lives." He added, "They are separated. The president of the United States and the first lady are separated."
The White House rejected Wolff's comments in unusually scathing terms. Steven Cheung, White House communications director, told The Independent, "He is an imbecile of the highest order and his Trump Derangement Syndrome-addled brain has caused him to lead a miserable existence devoid of reality." Cheung called Wolff "a blithering idiot" who has been "widely discredited due to his blatant lies and fabrications."
Speculation about the state of the Trump marriage has intensified due to Melania Trump's limited visibility since the president's January 20 inauguration. According to The New York Times, the first lady has spent fewer than 14 days at the White House this year. Two individuals familiar with her schedule told the Times that the estimate may even be "generous."
Sources also told the newspaper that Melania has been "deeply spooked" by recent assassination attempts on President Trump and remains concerned about the safety of her family. The first lady has reportedly spent most of her time at Trump Tower in Manhattan and Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Paolo Zampolli, the modeling agent who introduced the couple in 1998, rejected suggestions that Melania has distanced herself from her role. "She loves the White House," Zampolli told The New York Times. "And she loves the role of serving as our first lady."
In a Fox News interview ahead of the inauguration, Melania addressed her expected whereabouts during the second administration. "I will be in the White House. And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach," she said. "But my first priority is, you know, to be a mom, to be a first lady, to be a wife."
Melania Trump made a rare public appearance on May 8, attending a White House Celebration of Military Mothers event. She had previously appeared alongside the president at the funeral of the late Pope Francis and the annual Easter Egg Roll.
After returning from Rome on April 26-Melania's birthday-the couple reportedly departed separately from the airport, with the first lady leaving by car and President Trump boarding Marine One.
