Is there a fake Melania Trump? Does the president's wife hate him? And what went down at Trump Tower
in 2017? Nobody knows for sure, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from taking a good guess
Melania Trump took her time moving into the White House following Donald Trump's first inauguration
in 2017. "'We will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.'
While the then-first lady explained she was simply waiting for baron Trump to finish school in New York, others claim she was biding time to finish
renegotiating their prenup. Some even alleged that Melania stayed behind because she wasn't
ready to end an affair — specifically, an affair she'd allegedly had with the head of
security working at the Tiffany's Boutique in the Trump Tower lobby. Author Monica Byrne first
shared the theory in since-deleted tweets, claiming that the romance had been going on
for years and that Donald was fully aware of it. The rumored affair partner has since been
identified as Henry Hank Seymers, the vice president of global protection services for
Tiffany & Co. While the rumors initially died down, they resurfaced in 2019 when a former
employee on The Celebrity Apprentice appeared to corroborate Byrne's claims. He posted on X
formerly Twitter, Melania didn't live with him in Trump Tower either. She lived with her boyfriend. We had
to book the transport on Apprentice finales, and her pickup was not on Fifth Avenue
Melania Trump wasn't your typical first lady, to say the least, as she often chose to stay out of
the limelight whenever she could. But while Donald Trump has said that his wife is an
exceptionally private person, some critics claim that Melania wasn't as involved as other First
Ladies because she hated her first term in the White House. According to the 2024 book American
Woman Melania was so miserable in her role that she often turned down events rarely set foot in the East Wing and would often spend all day lounging around the White House in her terry cloth bathrobe The book claims that by the end of the first four years Melania was checked out and exhausted
so much so that she didn't even bother to write farewell cards to her staff
instead asking a subordinate to do it for her. Melania's apparent contempt for her job became
public in 2020, when former aide Stephanie Wolkoff shared a secret audio with CNN from
two years earlier. In the recording, the First Lady appeared to dismiss her duties
Who gives a f—k about Christmas stuff and decorations? For her part, Melania later said the clip didn't represent her true feelings and was taken out of
context. One of the wackiest conspiracy theories to surround the Trump family claims that Melania
is sometimes replaced by a body double when she doesn't want to appear in public. This bizarre
rumor began in 2017 when someone tweeted images of Melania walking with a Secret Service agent
who looked similar to her, claiming the agent was actually a stand-in for the First Lady
Former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow debunked the claims in an interview with CNN
however. Yet this conspiracy theory has continued to resurface. In 2019, fake Melania began trending again. The then-president actually responded this time
pinning the blame on his opponents. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter
The fake news photoshopped pictures of Melania, then propelled conspiracy theories that it's
actually not her by my side." A 2020 photo of the couple on Marine One then reignited the conspiracy before it made the
rounds yet again in 2024. After the Trumps arrived to cast their votes in Palm Beach, Florida, some folks were convinced
it wasn't actually Melania who voted. As one tweeted, Timu Melania? Melania and Donald Trump marriage has been scrutinized from every angle and numerous sources have suggested that the couple rarely sees eye to eye Indeed former staffers and insiders told New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers that the Trumps were in constant disagreement behind closed doors
In her 2024 book American Woman, Rogers wrote that the pair butted heads over everything from
decor to television. One source alleged that after Melania picked out the furniture for their first
White House term, Donald replaced her choices with several pieces he liked better. What's more
Mr. Trump, a Fox News devotee, reportedly became incensed that Melania's TV was tuned to CNN
while they were traveling on Air Force One. After that, he ordered that all the plane's TVs should
only ever show Fox. Melania's own 2024 memoir only added fuel to the fire, as she wrote about
being unequivocally pro-choice. However, Donald later said that he wasn't bothered by his wife's
beliefs and supported her speaking her truth. On Fox News, he recalled telling Melania
You have to write what you believe. I'm not going to tell you what to do. Melania herself assured Fox viewers their marriage was as solid as ever
Yeah, so we have a beautiful relationship. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Donald and Melania Trump have been plagued by divorce rumors for years
But talk really heated up following revelations about alleged hush money payments made to
Donald's affair partner Stormy Daniels. As Melania kept quiet on the drama
former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman claimed in her 2018 book Unhinged
Melania is counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce him.
That hadn't happened by the end of Trump's term in 2021, but rumors of an impending split
haven't quietened down. Many people continue to speculate about possible reasons why Melania and Donald hadn't split yet
In October 2024 a social media post claimed that Melania had actually told Donald she wanted a divorce The Trump campaign quickly debunked the story Indeed Melania herself had nothing but praise for her husband while promoting the release of her memoir that same month She told Fox News their first date was an enjoyable and memorable
evening, then tweeted a video proclaiming, From the moment Donald and I met, there was an undeniable spark
As for her notable absence from the 2024 campaign trail, Donald claimed that Melania does support
him. She just doesn't like being in the spotlight. He told a Fox Town Hall, If I didn't introduce Melania, she'd be very happy about it
So, if they supposedly hate each other so much, then why are Donald and Melania Trump together
Well, many rumors suggest that Melania is most concerned about the assets she and
Trump are entitled to. Even Melania's former friend and aide, Stephanie Wolkoff
went as far as to tell the BBC, I do. I do believe it's a transactional marriage
Author Mary Jordan seemed to agree, claiming in her 2020 book The Art of Her Deal that Melania
delayed moving into the White House in 2017 until she finished renegotiating her prenup
Jordan alleged, She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance
Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children. Melania's team quickly shut down the claims, but that didn't stop further rumors from resurfacing
in 2023. Sources told Radar that Melania threatened to renegotiate their prenup after
Donald was ordered to pay damages to E. Jean Carroll for defamation and sexual abuse
In order to save face ahead of the 2024 election, Donald reportedly agreed to up Melania's monthly
allowance and Barron's inheritance. A source told Page Six that Melania had actually spent
an entire year quietly negotiating the premarital agreement to her advantage