Donald And Melania Trump's Most Cringe-Worthy Moments
Can someone please get Melania out of there? From the moment former President Donald Trump was sworn into office in January 2017 to when they set their sights on retiring to Mar-a-Lago four years later, Melania Trump has seemed to maintain her constant frown just about as well as her fierce sense of style. From dodging her husband's hand-holding advances to sequestering herself in her gold-encrusted NYC penthouse long after he first moved to Washington, it's unclear if the Trumps actually like each other at all.
Donald and Melania's marriage is a stark contrast to Barack and Michelle Obama's White House love-fest. It's not hard to argue that Donald showed more affection to French President Emmanuel Macron than his own wife (in his defense, at least Macron kissed him back) during his time as POTUS. Part of this undeniable tension could be that Melania admittedly didn't really know what she was getting into, or maybe it's the alleged adult film star hush money and the creepy comments Donald lobs at his own daughter. Either way, it's been awkward as heck.
At the very heart of it, the infamous couple seems like polar opposites: she's dignified and reserved, while he's the kind of guy that boasts about groping women and antagonizes foreign dictators on social media. That's not to say opposites don't attract, and a big fortune can help dull even the worst qualities in a person. But is it enough? Here's a run-down of Donald and Melania Trump's most cringe-worthy moments. Just when you think things can't get weirder, they do.
Melania Trump looked less than thrilled on Inauguration Day
Melania Trump's support of her husband's political career path has been subject to tons of speculation. In the scathing White House tell-all, "Fire & Fury" (via New York magazine), author Michael Wolff wrote that after finding out about Donald Trump's unexpected presidential win in 2016, the new first lady was less than thrilled. "Melania was in tears — and not of joy," he noted.
This is something that was vehemently denied by Stephanie Grisham, the former first lady's communications director. Per People, she swore Melania encouraged Donald to run in the first place and was delighted with the election's outcome. Strangely enough, during the actual inauguration, Mrs. Trump looked anything but. Melania's morose expression was so obvious that the internet rushed to her aid with the hashtag #FreeMelania. In a clip that launched a thousand divorce rumors, FLOTUS grinned at POTUS, only to immediately frown the moment he turned back around.
Naturally, that scowl could have a very reasonable explanation. Maybe she was bored out of her mind (only a small handful of people bothered to show up that day). Maybe she was reeling from the fact that her son, Barron, totally snubbed her high-five. Maybe she cut down on carbs to maintain her model figure and felt a little hangry (how many carbs are in a dozen Diet Cokes?). Melania loves her husband very much and was thrilled to be there, okay?
The Trumps' Inauguration Day dance was beyond awkward
Melania Trump spent the better portion of her husband's January 2017 inauguration staring into a meaningless abyss of self-doubt — or, at least it looked that way to us. By this point in the night, Donald Trump had already ditched her to greet the Obamas. She had to suffer through an awkward greeting with Michelle, who seemed less than thrilled about her gift from Tiffany's, and her own son left her hanging on a high-five (are you even a mom if your tween kid doesn't snub you?). Our sympathies to the then-first lady, especially considering how things went after The Donald was sworn in.
During the first dance, the newly-inaugurated POTUS appeared noticeably stiff while Melania looked straight-up miserable. He pulled her in at the waist and she leaned back like a house cat who's totally over being pet. According to a body language expert who spoke to Mic, that analogy may not be too far off. "Melania is an object to [Trump]," said Susan Constantine. "I don't see any warmth or true love and compassion in that relationship whatsoever."
To the Trumps' credit, it may have just been difficult to groove romantically along to Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in front of the world. Why does the first couple have to know how to dance, anyway?
That time Melania slapped Donald's hand away in Israel
Things didn't get less awkward when the former first couple jetted over to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discuss moving the U.S. Embassy (via CNBC). We're not exactly sure what went down on Air Force on the way there, but Melania Trump clearly wasn't feeling very affectionate toward her husband by the time they landed. The incident went down as Netanyahu and his wife — who were holding hands — escorted then-President Donald Trump and Melania across the red carpet. Donald reached out to grab Melania's hand, and she swiftly smacked it away (above).
This was just one of a few cringe-worthy moments during the Trumps' trip to the Middle East. After the quick snub, Melania went on to give a misguided speech about work-life balance to Saudi women, who, as a whole, weren't even legally allowed to drive at the time. The Trump camp also bizarrely posed around some sort of crystal ball — and everyone knows uplighting doesn't make for a very flattering photo-op.
Let's just shake on it
It's true: your husband is supposed to be your life partner, but does that mean he's also your business partner? That appears to be the case for Donald Trump, who greeted his wife with the firm handshake of a fellow colleague in September 2017.
By the time then-POTUS Trump arrived with his wife, Melania Trump, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, she had already made it pretty clear that she was not into PDA. It seemed as though the former star of "The Apprentice" finally got the memo because he greeted the former first lady with a handshake and awkwardly nudged her off stage after she introduced him to the crowd.
The encounter was so strange that Twitter erupted with commentary. One user said, "Nothing says I love you [to] my wife like a firm handshake and false pleasantries." Others questioned if Donald and Melania actually know each other at all.
The former prez finally landed the hand, and he was grateful for it
We imagine the conversation going something like this: "Melania, you're embarrassing me. Please, just hold my hand in front of the cameras when we get out there. Please. Just for a second." While we're certainly not behind the closed doors of Donald and Melania Trump's alleged separate bedrooms, it appeared that then-FLOTUS Melania finally appeased her husband's hand-holding advances during the State Arrival Ceremony in April 2018 — if only for a moment.
The first couple posed for a photo-op next to French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, who slinked her fingers around her husband's hand as he reached out to meet her halfway. Melania, on the other hand, was dazzling in a fierce white hat and could not be bothered. The Donald reached out to grab her hand, and she eventually took it without even giving him a glance. Perhaps tellingly, he then appeared to mouth an enthusiastic 'thank you' to Melania.
As soon as the couple completed the photo-op, Melania appeared to let go of Donald's grip and proceed to trail behind him. President Macron and Brigitte remained side-by-side for a bit. Again, Melania appeared totally thrilled to be there next to her beloved husband — thrilled.
Melania Trump's Wicked Witch of the West Wing holiday vibe
Some say Melania Trump is in a cold, loveless marriage, but what if that's just her personal aesthetic? If you're going by her White House Christmas decorations — which Vox described as "A nightmare pulled straight out of a horror movie" in 2017 — that seems like the case.
The former first lady is impossibly chic, even if her style isn't exactly the epitome of holiday cheer. It's not totally her fault. She didn't ask to be stuck in the White House on Christmas. In fact, Melania actually said she'd most like to spend the holidays on a deserted tropical island with her family, per NBC News. With this in mind, it's not really surprising she chose an elegant, understated palette — a palette that transformed into a hellscape ripped straight from "The Forest" (a flick where the cursed forest murders literally everyone).
Melania's take on Christmas in the White House was a far cry from the Obamas' cozy, classic decorations. Instead of stringing the hallway with garland and warm, twinkling lights, she opted for uplit bushels of stark white branches. The final results garnered her comparisons to the White Witch (that terrifying woman in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" that lures kids into a wintry nightmare) and also the Demogorgon-spawning demon from "Stranger Things." Others compared the former FLOTUS stoically watching the various "Nutcracker"-inspired ballerinas to sequences from "Black Swan" and "The Ring." There's probably one thing we can all agree on. It certainly wasn't tacky.
Remember when his alleged affair with an adult film star messed up their anniversary?
More than a decade of marriage is something to celebrate — but not for the Trumps. Their 13th wedding anniversary came and went with little fanfare in 2018. Perhaps the couple is just superstitious (do Trump hotels have a 13th floor?) or maybe Melania Trump was absolutely furious.
The Trumps reportedly intended to spend their anniversary weekend at a posh resort in the Swiss Alps that was hosting the World Economic Forum, at which the former president was scheduled to speak. Those plans were made before The Wall Street Journal dropped a bombshell news report claiming Donald Trump paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to remain quiet about an affair. They allegedly had a sexual encounter in July 2006, shortly after Melania gave birth to Barron Trump. Soon after the story broke, CNN confirmed that Melania had canceled her trip to Switzerland due to "scheduling and logistical issues." Donald attended the event alone.
Did Melania throw some shade at her husband on his Inauguration Day anniversary?
On the Obamas' 25th anniversary, the former president gushed about his wife by tweeting, "Twenty years ago today, I married the love of my life and my best friend." The lovey-dovey statement sent fuzzy feelings to admirers across the nation back in 2012. On the flip side, there was nothing warm and fuzzy about the Trumps' 13th anniversary. Perhaps unsurprisingly, January 22 2018 came and went without the then-POTUS and FLOTUS making public statements of affection. Hey, maybe that's just not their style.
We do have to give Melania Trump some credit: Two days before the big day, she did take the opportunity to reflect on her time as first lady. The strange thing — you'd never know her husband had anything to do with it. Instead, Melania tweeted a photo of her with her hunky military escort on Inauguration Day along with the message, "This has been a year filled with many wonderful moments. I've enjoyed the people I've been lucky enough to meet throughout our great country [and] the world."
Was this some subtle shade? By the looks of it, those wonderful moments didn't include her husband — the person who was actually inaugurated on Inauguration Day. Yikes!
Melania Trump rode to the State of the Union solo
Amidst the Stormy Daniels drama, Melania Trump didn't limit her reported shade-throwing to Twitter posts and canceled anniversary plans. Nope, the former first lady also opted to travel solo to her husband's State of the Union Address on January 30, 2018. In fact, the couple had not been publicly seen together since New Year's Eve.
Though the State of the Union address is given just a few minutes away from the White House, the then-first couple reportedly took separate cars. Melania rode with some guests she invited, who joined her in a special box. She arrived just one minute before POTUS' speech was supposed to begin. Even more curious, Melania opted to wear a white pantsuit to the event. The year prior, Democratic congressional members donned white in protest of then-President Donald Trump's policies. Maybe the first lady had joined the resistance. But it was perhaps more likely that cream was simply one of her wardrobe staples. Either way, she looked stunning.
According to then-Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, there was nothing shady about Melania's separate ride. She reportedly took her own car out of convenience. Plus, she wanted to greet guests, and The Donald needed to go straight inside.
Donald Trump dropped the ball on her birthday
Donald Trump has made a name for himself by telling it like it is — or, you know, just saying whatever the heck is on his mind without really thinking about it. This produced a rather cringe-worthy interview when he took his executive time to call into "Fox & Friends" in late April 2018. The interview was shocking for a few reasons — the terrified looks from the anchors as they nervously tried to push him off-air; the way he may have incriminated himself in legal matters; and the moment he totally admitted that he forgot to get wife Melania Trump a birthday present.
"I better not get into that because I may get in trouble," he said about his birthday gift to his third wife (via People). "Maybe I didn't get her so much. I tell you what, she has done — I got her a beautiful card. You know, I'm very busy to be running out looking for presents, okay! But I got her a beautiful card and some beautiful flowers."
This begs the question: What's worse? The wrath of a wife whose birthday you forgot or implicating yourself in an ongoing criminal investigation? Only one of those things can be lawyered around.
He joked that Melania would be the next staffer to leave him
Donald Trump clung to his reality TV catchphrase, "You're fired," long after "The Apprentice" was canceled. His one-term presidency became notorious for its high turnover rate. By May 2018, more than 30 staff members had already reportedly been fired, forced out, quit, or retired, and it seemed like the world was always speculating about who would be next.
Turns out, it could have been Melania Trump. During a Gridiron Club Dinner speech (via W magazine), the former president riffed on the fact that Melania looked miserable in an overwhelming amount of public appearances. "I like turnover. I like chaos. It really is good," he said. "Now the question everyone keeps asking is, 'Who is going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller or Melania?'"
Basically, joking about how the general public thinks your wife hates you is as awkward as expected — especially considering the notoriously private former FLOTUS was apparently offended by his quip, as an insider told Hollywood Life.
Melania Trump finally cracked a smile ... with Obama ... at a funeral
Melania Trump may be very serious and reserved by nature, but that doesn't mean she never lets loose. The former first lady cracked a rare smile at Barbara Bush's funeral (in her husband's absence) — and the irony was not lost on the internet.
Then-President Donald Trump did not attend the service, but Melania was there to pay her respects. Instead of sitting by herself, she sat next to Barack and Michelle Obama. This was awkward in and of itself when you consider the fact that her husband supported a campaign promoting the conspiracy theory that former President Obama's birth certificate was fake. It's even more awkward when you realize Melania looked happier and more relaxed with the Obamas than she had in months while appearing alongside her husband.
Online audiences adored Melania's perceived rare reprieve from misery. One Twitter user quipped, "Melania looks happier at a funeral than she has in ages." Even Hillary Clinton adviser Philippe Reines took the time to tell the internet that Melania allegedly used to always smile in photos, yet this was the first time she'd boasted a toothy one in years. He added, "That's a woman craving distance from a monster being reminded what dignity looks like." Sheesh.
Let's talk about Donny's death-grip
As previously mentioned, Donald Trump has spent a few unfortunate public outings reaching for Melania Trump's hand. Remember when she swiftly pulled it away to brush back her hair, or when she straight-up gave him that infamous little swat? Needless to say, he hasn't had the best luck with public displays of affection, but that changed in the summer of 2018, amidst the growing number of protesters preparing for the couple's visit to the U.K. There, Donald managed to finally grab his wife's hand as they crossed the White House lawn to board Marine One in July 2018. No, their fingers weren't interlocked like teenagers in love, and no, it wasn't a light and airy caress. It was the sort of open-faced, practical handhold one might use with their grandmother, but it was a handhold nonetheless.
Just a year later, during another trip to the U.K., Melania was back to her old self as she appeared to limply accept her husband's hand in hers — only to wriggle it free to fix her hair almost immediately afterward. Hey, the U.K. is a windy place and a woman needs all the digits she has spare to keep that FLOTUS mane in place!
Melania don't care
Melania Trump is a woman of great style — and sometimes that style is affordable. Her $39 Zara jacket was a break from her typical designer duds and caused quite a stir. If only she had chosen a different day to wear a military-inspired parka that read, "I really don't care, do u?"
According to Vox, Melania donned the jacket at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland on a very hot day. She was reportedly on her way to visit migrant children at the Texas-Mexico border amidst the public outrage for Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" family separation policy. Though she removed the jacket before her arrival in Texas, the former first lady gave the press a clear view of the text. Her unfortunate choice of timing made it seem like she was referring to the more than 2,000 migrant children separated from their families at the border. Don't worry, though, Donald Trump made sure to clear things up.
Per ABC News, a spokesperson for Melania claimed there was no insidious subtext to her sartorial choice. The then-president also took to Twitter to claim his wife's jacket referred to the "Fake News Media," adding, "Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!"
Was Melania Trump trolling her husband?
In May 2018, Melania Trump launched an anti-bullying campaign called "Be Best." According to CNN, the initiative was meant to stomp out cyberbullying, an issue plaguing children in today's social media-driven society. Many were quick to point out that it was an issue also plaguing Donald Trump's administration, and her husband was the one dishing it out.
While Melania warned against the adverse effects of pernicious social media usage, Donald was making news for calling former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman "that dog" and a "crazed, crying lowlife," per The New York Times. The dichotomy prompted CNN to ask if the then-first lady was trolling her husband.
Melania pushed forward in August 2018 with a #BeBest tweet, asking followers how they planned to be the best version of themselves in the upcoming school year. Her message was met with immense criticism. One user urged her to begin her campaign at home, while another asked, "Did you mean to tweet that to [Donald Trump]?" At this point, the whole campaign felt really cringe-worthy.
Keep your enemies close, and your in-laws closer
Things got awkward in August 2018 when Melania Trump's parents were sworn in as U.S. citizens using a policy that Donald Trump had vehemently denounced. We know in-laws can be pretty annoying, but this took the whole thing to a new level.
Donald infamously spent a large swath of his one-term presidency championing against illegal immigration and enacting a zero-tolerance policy. According to The New York Times, he also set his sights on legal immigration, more specifically, what he considered "chain migration." Per CBS News, "family reunification," as it's officially called, allows adult green card holders and legal U.S. residents to sponsor a family member for immigration — the way Melania reportedly sponsored her parents.
Donald had been extremely vocal about his distaste for this family reunification policy. In November 2017, when Melania's parents were going through the immigration process, he tweeted, "Chain migration must end now! Some people come in, and they bring their whole family with them, who can be truly evil." C'mon now, that's no way to talk about your in-laws.
When the former FLOTUS flew to Africa solo
In August 2018, then-first lady Melania Trump announced her first major solo international trip aside from a brief stop-over to Toronto, where she hung out with Prince Harry. Where did she plan to go for this notable first? The same nation her husband reportedly slammed as a "s**thole" country — awkward!
The focus of Melania's trip to Africa was to learn more about the struggles endured by youth. The journey corresponded with her continued focus on children's well-being and her "Be Best" campaign. Melania was expected to make the trip without her husband in tow, but did anyone believe he would actually want to go anyway?
Per The Washington Post, a few months prior to Melania's travel announcement, the former president reportedly derided the people of Haiti, El Salvador, and Africa while discussing a bipartisan immigration deal, stating, "Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?" Need we mention that Africa is a continent, not a country? Donald supposedly wanted more immigrants from Norway and nations like it.
Looks like Melania Trump is a Lakers fan
Donald and Melania Trump certainly don't always present a united front when it comes to the former president's many beefs. In fact, she praised NBA superstar LeBron James for his charity work less than 24 hours after Donald attacked the famous baller on Twitter in 2018.
Per CNN, the drama was sparked when newsman Don Lemon interviewed James about his contributions to his hometown of Akron, Ohio, including a public school the basketball player helped launch for at-risk third and fourth graders. The conversation ebbed toward the topic of Donald Trump, and James revealed that he believed the then-president had tried to use sports to divide Americans. The Donald then tweeted that Lemon was "the dumbest man on television" and made "Lebron look smart."
Less than 24 hours after Donald slammed the NBA star's intelligence, a spokeswoman for the former first lady praised James' charity work, saying, "It looks like LeBron James is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and just as she always has, the first lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today." Look at Melania being her best.
At least one of the Trumps enjoys national parks
Donald Trump had been at odds with the National Park Service since the beginning of his presidency. In 2018, nearly the entirety of the National Park Service advisory panel resigned in frustration over his administration. The then-POTUS proposed slashing nearly 2,000 park rangers at a time when park visitation was at an all-time high. He also announced plans to shrink Bears Ears National Monument by nearly 85 percent — the largest monument reduction in U.S. history. Trump administration also temporarily shut down the National Park Service Twitter account after it allegedly depicted the size of the crowd at his inauguration in an unfavorable light. In other words: NPS and DJT don't get along.
But then there's Melania Trump. On the 102nd anniversary of the National Park Service, Melania tweeted a photo of herself posing with members of the park service along with a special birthday message. She wrote, "Thank you ... for 102 years of commitment to this country!" Notably, her husband was not featured in the post.
Remembering John McCain
Donald Trump had a notoriously tumultuous relationship with late Senator John McCain, whose famous thumbs down helped topple his plans for an Obamacare repeal. And who can forget the time Donald reportedly declared that the Arizona senator wasn't a war hero? McCain spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp during the Vietnam War. He was brutally tortured but refused an early release because he didn't think it was fair to the other prisoners who'd been there longer than he had. Per Politico, in Donald's words, "[McCain] was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."
When McCain died from brain cancer complications in August 2018, the White House reportedly drafted a statement for Donald, which heralded the senator as a "hero" — but that statement was never released. Instead, then-POTUS Trump opted for a short tweet that focused on the late senator's family. Only after being met with intense criticism did Donald appear to concede, issuing a lengthier statement that praised McCain for his service and ordered flags to be hung at half-mast. With the notable exception of the White House, other important locations had already lowered the flags.
Melania Trump, however, promptly honored Sen. McCain, uttering the very words her husband seemed so loathe to speak. "Thank you Senator McCain for your service to the nation," she tweeted.
The curious case of Melania's online friends
Donald Trump's rivalry with Barack Obama began long before the billionaire was eyeing a presidential bid. The Donald previously criticized the former president for playing basketball when at a time that he deemed critical for saving the country and he also championed a conspiracy theory that claimed Obama wasn't an American citizen.
When "The Apprentice" alum succeeded Obama, he promptly began trying to overturn some of his predecessor's most notable policies. It's not clear if he simply disagreed with Obama's policies or had a personal vendetta against the man — Donald reportedly even sought to overturn legislation that banned killing wolf pups in their dens. Whatever the reason, the former first lady didn't appear to share the same sentiment.
From the outside, at least, it looked like Melania Trump may have been chummier with Obama online than she was with her own husband at the time. In 2018, she opted not to publicly acknowledge her husband on his birthday or spend the day with him. Donald's accounts made up two of the six she followed on Twitter. The others belonged to the White House Historical Association, Mike and Karen Pence, and Barack Obama. Curiously enough, Obama was the only person Melania followed who was not involved in her husband's administration. Was this a quiet revolt or was she trolling?
The Trumps tag-teamed the birther conspiracy theory
Melania Trump appeared to have a pretty good relationship with the Obamas during Donald Trump's administration, but before serving in the White House, she helped her husband champion what's arguably the most insane of all Barack Obama conspiracy theories: the birther conspiracy.
In 2011, Melania went on "The Joy Behar Show" to defend her husband's claim that Obama wasn't born in the United States, despite the fact that he released his short-form birth certificate in 2008. The future first lady claimed that she and Donald felt like the short-form birth certificate released by the White House was different than an actual birth certificate. "It's not only Donald who wants to see it," she said. "It's American people who voted for him and who didn't vote for him. They want to see that."
About a week later, the White House released Obama's long-form birth certificate, which clearly showed he was born in the state of Hawaii. Years later, Donald finally admitted Obama was born in America, but he allegedly continued to peddle the conspiracy privately, according to The New York Times.
Donald Trump accidentally fueled the missing Melania rumors
For a brief moment in 2018, #MissingMelania was a pop culture enigma. Then-FLOTUS Melania Trump has always been an elusive creature with a reserved nature. Few have peered behind her stoic gaze, but the short period in which she reportedly went missing was a whole new type of mysterious. Vanity Fair even published a complete timeline of her apparent disappearance — from the moment she entered the hospital to take care of a so-called "benign kidney condition" to the moment she apparated at an event honoring Gold Star families, thus ending the saga.
Throughout this moment, Donald Trump remained dutifully by her side — just kidding. Based on one of the cringiest press interactions outside of that Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference, it seems like he had no idea where she was. Per The Guardian, Melania seemed to reappear after 20 days, tweeting that she was at the White House with her family — or, that's at least, what they wanted us to think.
A week prior, Donald helped the speculation take flight when he insisted to reporters that she was watching them from the White House. "She's doing great," he said, pointing towards her window. "Right there. She's doing great. Just looking at us, right there." As much as we wanted to see Melania gazing out like the tortured soul of a Victorian ghost, she was not there. Nothing was there. Awkward.
Has anyone asked Melania how she's doing since the insurrection?
Following the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol, you'd think that the former first couple would have taken immediate action. After all, it was their job to comfort the nation in the wake of tragedy — and they did, in their own special way.
A whopping 24 hours after Donald Trump gave the now-infamous speech that encouraged his supporters by stating, "We will stop the steal," and "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore," he vaguely tried to smooth things over with a two-and-a-half minute video where he acknowledged future President Joe Biden's win. According to Vanity Fair, this only came after he was accused of inciting an insurrection and faced legal prosecution and impeachment. As an advisor told the magazine, "He knew he f***ed up."
There's no doubt that Melania Trump publicly stood behind Donald's rhetoric in the past. On Twitter, she even alluded to the false notion that the election was swung by illegal votes. Following the events, she took five days to collect her thoughts and apparently came to the conclusion that she was the real victim of the Capitol riots. In a now-deleted blog post (via ABC News), Melania claimed felt let down by events. "I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me," she wrote. Sorry, girl, but people are literally dying.
Donald hated Melania's Mar-a-Lago renovation so much, he reversed it
Mar-a-Lago was meant to be Donald and Melania Trump's oasis — or fortress, depending on how you want to look at it. This was derailed when the pair reportedly did not agree on renovations. Needless to say, things were probably quite awkward in the Trump household — never mind the fact that they've been allegedly illegally squatting in the private club because at least they're not illegally squatting in the White House.
According to CNN Politics, Melania oversaw the renovations of Donald's private quarters at Mar-a-Lago. Three days before Christmas 2020, he caught a glimpse of the project — which had been going on for several weeks — and was allegedly less than pleased with how it didn't adhere to his personal aesthetic. To make matters more awkward, Melania reportedly hand-picked many of the details with her interior decorator. Donald allegedly hated it so much that he even asked that parts of it made of wood and marble be removed.
This begs the question: what is The Donald's aesthetic? Was it Melania's horror movie-inspired Christmas decorations? Were there not enough comical, tiny statues of himself? Did she forget his Diet Coke button? The world needs some answers.
The Trumps skipped Joe Biden's inauguration
From the looks of it, Donald and Melania Trump couldn't wait to get to Mar-a-Lago — even if that meant the alleged billionaire was forced to look at aesthetically displeasing décor picked out by his wife. The pair were in such a rush to exit the White House that they ended up skipping Joe Biden's inauguration, only to be met with a lukewarm hometown welcome.
If anyone was over it, it was Melania. The soon-to-be former FLOTUS reportedly jetted right to the car as her husband momentarily stopped to wave — but not talk — to reporters. Donald had 29 minutes left in his presidency when the pair touched down at Palm Beach International Airport. Supporters did not gather at the gates to greet them when they landed. Rather, a few scattered along the motorcade, mixed in with dissenters, holding signs emblazoned with words like "loser" and "you're fired."
Overall, Donald left his presidency with a 34 percent approval rating, said to be the lowest in history as of this writing.
Donald Trump's cringe-worthy Mar-a-Lago wedding speech
Throughout his time in the White House, Donald Trump seemingly perfected the persona of "America's racist uncle" — as Stephen Colbert once put it — the kind of belligerent family member who makes inappropriate comments at Thanksgiving dinner. It was all leading up to this one moment where Donald delivered the performance of a lifetime as that same uncle who is somehow given a microphone at a wedding. Seriously, everyone has one.
According to TMZ, Donald popped into the Mar-a-Lago wedding of his longtime friends and donors, Megan Noderer and John Arrigo, in March 2021. There, he reportedly hijacked the mic to briefly give a touching speech about the newlyweds before launching into a tirade that touched upon topics like how the election was rigged, how Joe Biden was already doing a poor job, foreign policy deals with China and Iran, and the situation at the southern border.
During this time, Melania Trump was nowhere to be found and she did not appear to be his plus one. Regardless, CNN Politics stated that she had instead been spending hours at the Mar-a-Lago spa, reportedly avoiding anything that has to do with politics, and consequently, her husband — particularly when he's still rattling on about the election. Perhaps she was getting her nails done.
Donald Trump blamed Melania for endorsing Dr. Oz
There was no joy at Mar-a-Lago during the midterm elections of November 2022. Donald Trump was seeing red over the lack of Republican crimson dominating the returns, with most of the candidates he endorsed falling by the wayside. He especially had fits over one Senatorial race in Pennsylvania that saw his own hand-picked celeb, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lose to Democrat John Fetterman. "Trump is indeed furious this morning, particularly about Mehmet Oz, and is blaming everyone who advised him to back Oz," tweeted New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. "Including his wife, describing it as not her best decision, according to people close to him."
Spousal reaction to that rage wasn't officially made public. However, the former First Lady reportedly loathes being lumped in with Trump's infamous outbursts. "She doesn't like being in the news," noted CNN reporter Kate Bennett. "She certainly doesn't like her name being attached to the rants and ravings of her husband."
Still, something must have happened to warrant Trump expressing regret over his actions towards Melania and a Fox News commentator who also recommended Oz. "I'd like to apologize to Melania and Sean Hannity for all of the Fake News and fictional stories (made up out of thin air, with no sources despite them claiming there are!) being dumped on you by reporters and 'News' Organizations who know these stories are not true," he said on Truth Social while inserting a dig at the media.
She upstaged her husband in the Situation Room
In Christopher Miller's 2023 book "Soldier Secretary," Donald Trump's acting defense secretary claimed that Melania Trump showed up in the Situation Room during a 2019 U.S. military raid. The then-president and his colleagues were viewing the maneuver on a compound in Syria that successfully killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Trump and higher-ups reportedly discussed how to make the news public, until Melania interjected. "You should talk about the dog," she said, referring to Conan, the canine that led troops into the compound before getting injured by a live wire. "Everyone loves dogs."
However, the sole exception to that rule was the President. In her memoir, "Raising Trump," (via CNN) Ivana Trump wrote that her ex-husband didn't get along with her pet poodle, Chappy. "Donald was not a dog fan," she noted. "[Chappy] had an equal dislike of Donald." He's been equally notorious over the years for negatively comparing his many enemiesto dogs. Still, he took Melania's advice and even had a special ceremony for Conan, who was fully recovered from the attack.
As Miller mused in his book (via The Hill), "I wondered how it would play in the press if word got out that the first lady had popped in to watch a major military operation." Indeed, the tome had some media wags proclaiming that the former first lady was the genius behind the hero-dog strategy. But others were more dismissive. MSNBC personality Joe Scarborough glibly said of her efforts, "Melania [just] wandered in, started giving advice about dogs."