During President Donald Trump's first term in the White House, he and First Lady Melania Trump reportedly maintained separate bedrooms, a living arrangement that has renewed speculation about the nature of their relationship. According to CNN and multiple insider accounts, the couple's time in the Executive Residence was marked by physical and emotional distance, with former aides describing their marriage as "transactional."
Sources familiar with the White House setup said Donald Trump did not sleep in the traditional presidential suite reserved for the First Couple. Instead, he used a separate study or den that was converted into his own sleeping quarters, while Melania remained in the main suite. Neither the former president nor the former first lady ever publicly confirmed the arrangement, but staffers reportedly viewed it as common knowledge.
The separation extended beyond the bedroom. According to insiders, Melania spent limited time with her husband, particularly during the later months of his presidency, when she was seen less frequently in official appearances and avoided most campaign events.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a longtime friend and aide to Melania Trump, described the couple's marriage as one of mutual advantage rather than affection. In her 2020 book Melania and Me, Wolkoff wrote, "Donald got arm candy, and Melania got two dynamic decades," a line that has since become shorthand for their perceived partnership of convenience.
Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman made similar claims in her 2018 memoir Unhinged, alleging that Melania was "counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce him." Melania has never directly addressed such accounts, though her carefully managed public image and minimal engagement in political activities have continued to fuel speculation about the state of her marriage.
Despite the persistent rumors, the couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in February 2025. Earlier this year, Melania told reporters, "I have my own thoughts. I don't always agree with what my husband is saying or doing - and that's OK." During Trump's presidency, she publicly condemned some of his more controversial statements, calling them "unacceptable," though she largely avoided conflict in public.
After leaving Washington, the Trumps settled at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, where reports suggest Melania has spent much of her time apart from her husband. The Mirror quoted divorce attorney Jacqueline Newman as estimating that Melania could receive between $20 million and $50 million under a revised prenuptial agreement reportedly negotiated after Trump's legal troubles escalated.
