Melania Trump was notably absent on Tuesday when her husband Donald Trump surrendered to authorities in Manhattan after being indicted on 34 felony counts.
The absence of the former first lady sparked speculation about the state of the couple’s marriage, with some questioning whether Melania chose not to accompany her husband to New York City due to the nature of the charges. The one-time president is facing charges for falsification of business records in connection to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Although it is not clear whether Melania remained in Mar-a-Lago during her husband’s arrest, a source told People that she “still feels happy” at the Florida resort, where she is “leading her own life,” but that she “remains angry and doesn’t want to hear” about the alleged hush money.
From their first meeting to their recent 18th wedding anniversary, this is a timeline of Melania and Donald Trump’s relationship.
Couple first meet at a party in the fall of 1998
Melania Knauss, who was born in Slovenia, moved to New York City to pursue a modelling career. There, she was introduced to her future husband during a Fashion Week party at the Kit Kat Club.
Melania, who was 28 at the time, says Donald, who was 52 at the time and recently separated from his second wife Marla Maples, whom he shares daughter Tiffany with, asked for her number.
“He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn’t give it to him,” Melania told Harper’s Bazaar of her first encounter with the real estate mogul and then father of four.
However, Melania said she instead asked Donald to give her his number and promised to call him.
“I said: ‘I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.’ I wanted to see what kind of number he would give me - if it was a business number, what is this? I’m not doing business with you,” she recalled.
She ultimately called him a few days later and said she was “struck by his energy” and his “amazing sense of vitality”.
Melania and Donald have their first date shortly after meeting
In the interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Melania said that her and Donald’s first date involved dinner and a visit to former New York City hotspot Mooma.
“I remember that night like it was two months ago,” she said.
Donald proposes to Melania at the Met Gala in 2004
After a rocky few years, during which Donald launched a failed presidential campaign and the pair briefly broke up, the couple got engaged at the Met Gala in 2004. The real estate mogul proposed with a 15-carat diamond engagement ring.
“It was a great surprise. We are very happy together,” Melania, then-33, told the New York Post at the time.
Donald, who was also previously married to Ivana Trump with whom he shares children Eric, Ivanka and Donald Jr, gushed about his relationship with Melania during an appearance on Live! with Regis and Kelly shortly after the engagement.
“Well, we’ve had a great relationship, we’ve been together for five years and it was really time,” he said. “And you know, Melania is a great woman, a great person and I’m really happy about it.”
Couple marries in Florida on 22 January 2005
Melania and Donald exchanged vows during a church ceremony before celebrating their wedding at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
According to reports, the extravagant wedding was attended by 350 guests and cost between $1m to $2.5m.
Melania and Donald welcome their son Barron
On 20 March 2006, Melania, who announced her pregnancy with a bikini photo shoot in Vogue, gave birth to the couple’s first and only child together, son Barron William.
The Apprentice star reportedly meets with Daniels
Daniels shared details about her alleged meeting with the former president during an interview with 60 Minutes in 2018 and claimed she met Donald at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Daniels claimed Donald, then-60, invited her to dinner, and that they had sex in his hotel room.
The adult film star also alleged Donald invited her to various parties and to his office in Trump Tower in New York.
Donald announces second presidential bid
In 2015, the reality TV star announced he would be campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
At the time, Melania told GQ that she “chose not to go into politics and policy,” but that she reportedly “encouraged” her husband to run for president.
Melania says she accepts her husband’s apology over resurfaced comments about women
In October 2016, Melania defended her husband over resurfaced derogatory comments about women.
“This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world,” she said.
Donald wins 2016 presidential election
Donald was joined by his family at a New York rally on 8 November, where he and Melania learned together he won.
On 20 January 2017, Melania officially became first lady while her husband moved into the White House. She remained in New York, where their son was still attending school.
Daniels speaks out about alleged affair
In 2018, Daniels gave a televised interview about her alleged affair with the then-president.
At the time, a White House spokesperson denied the claims, stating: “The president strongly, clearly and has consistently denied these underlying claims, and the only person who’s been inconsistent is the one making the claims.”
Daniels’ interview came after theWall Street Journal reported Donald’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen facilitated a $130,000 payment to Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.
Melania claims she and her husband are “fine”
In October 2018, Melania was asked by an ABC reporter if she loves her husband, to which she replied: “Yes. We are fine. Yes.”
The couple moves out of the White House for the final time
In January 2021, after the former president lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, the couple moved from Washington, DC, to Mar-a-Lago.
Melania predicts what her husband’s return to the White House would look like
In November 2022, the former first lady hailed her husband’s 2024 presidential bid, telling Breitbart News she “supports” his decision to run again.
“His achievements during his administration had a great effect on all of us, and he can lead us toward success and prosperity again,” she told the publication.
Donald is seen without Melania during his New York arraignment
Although the 76-year-old was not joined by his wife in New York, he was reportedly seen having dinner with her at Mar-a-Lago last Thursday, just after news of the indictment broke, according to the New York Post.
