Ever since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his wife, Melania Trump, has taken a noticeably quiet approach to her role as First Lady. Aside from a handful of public appearances, she has largely stayed out of the public eye, but now, a new claim by Trump biographer Michael Wolff is turning heads.
He says Melania has “separated” from her husband and the two no longer share a normal, traditional marriage.
According to Wolff, who has authored several books highly critical of the president over the years, the first lady has been spending more and more time away from the White House, keeping her distance from Donald Trump.
So, have the White House power couple parted ways? Where does the first lady spend her time? What has the White House said? Here’s a closer look at the matter.
In a recent appearance on The Daily Podcast, biographer Michael Wolff was asked by host Joanna Coles about Melania Trump’s involvement in her husband’s second presidency. His response was blunt: “They clearly do not in any way inhabit a marriage as we define marriage.”
Wolff went on to add, “And I think maybe we can more specifically say they live separate lives. They are separated. The president of the United States and the first lady are separated.”
His comments have only added fuel to the ongoing speculation about the couple’s relationship, which has been under scrutiny due to Melania’s limited public appearances since Trump returned to office.
According to The New York Times, Melania has spent fewer than 14 days at the White House since Trump’s inauguration on January 20. The report notes she often “vanishes from view for weeks at a time, holing up in Trump Tower in Manhattan or in Florida, where she can lie low at Mar-a-Lago.”
In the months following his return to power, Melania has joined the president at just a few key events, including the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn and the funeral of Pope Francis, held just a day before her 55th birthday.
Following the papal funeral, the couple returned to the US but reportedly went their separate ways. While Trump boarded Marine One, Melania left in a separate car, according to The Independent.
The White House has pushed back strongly against Wolff’s claims of a separation between the Trumps.
According to The Independent, White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the biographer’s remarks, calling him “a blithering idiot” who has been “widely discredited due to his blatant lies and fabrications.”
Cheung didn’t hold back in his statement, saying Wolff is a “complete idiot whose brain, afflicted by Trump Derangement Syndrome, has led him to live a miserable life devoid of reality.”
The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) is commonly used by Republicans to describe what they believe are irrational and overly negative reactions to Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Paolo Zampolli — the former modelling agent who first spotted Melania in Milan in 1995 and later introduced her to Trump at New York’s Kit Kat Club in 1998 — also dismissed the speculation about her absence from Washington.
Speaking to The Independent, Zampolli said the reports were misleading. “She loves the White House,” he said. “And she loves the role of serving as our first lady.”
While rumours swirl, there are a few practical reasons being cited for Melania Trump’s limited presence at the White House.
One of the main factors appears to be her dedication to her 19-year-old son, Barron Trump, who is currently studying at New York University.
Speaking to Fox & Friends just before the inauguration, Melania offered some clarity on how she sees her second stint as First Lady unfolding.
“I will be in the White House,” she said when asked about where she would be based. “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.”
Her priority, she said, was “to be a mom” to Barron, now 19, and, “to be a first lady, to be a wife.”
Another reason, according to sources, is Melania’s general disinterest in day-to-day first lady duties.
Many recall that during Trump’s first term, she waited five months before moving into the White House officially to allow Barron, then 10, to finish his school year, but the move was widely seen as a reflection of her hesitation to embrace DC life.
“She clearly hated being in Washington,” Kate Andersen Brower, an author of several books about the White House, told Axios in June.
There’s also growing speculation that recent events may have contributed to her absence. Two people familiar with the first lady’s thinking told the Times that she has been “deeply spooked” by the two assassination attempts on Trump’s life last summer. Melania “was already worried about her family’s safety and had been for years,” they told the newspaper.
Despite the speculation and headlines, the First Lady’s inner circle insists that Melania is simply living life on her own terms, focused on her family, maintaining her privacy, and steering clear of Washington’s chaos.
With input from agencies
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‘They lead different lives’: Are Donald Trump and Melania separated? – Firstpost
