Since meeting at a party back in 1998, Donald Trump and his third wife, Melania have been on quite the ride – which is perhaps unsurprising, given their wedding alone cost more money than the average person is likely to amass over the course of their entire life.
Now, the world is being offered a carefully edited insight into their relationship via Melania's new documentary, Melania, for which she serves as a producer, alongside Brett Ratner, a filmmaker who was shunned from Hollywood following sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women (he denied all wrongdoing).
The documentary airs as a second American is shot and killed in the streets of Minneapolis by ICE, days after Trump offends British troops and as the Epstein files remain largely unreleased.
Over the years, spanning both Trump's first and second turns in the White House, many have speculated about the state of their marriage, with several videos appearing to show Melania brush her husband's hand away and her decision to wear a wide-brimmed hat at his last inauguration, preventing the President from being able to kiss her.
Here's a look back at Trump and Melania's relationship timeline:
September 1998: They meet at a party
Slovenian model Melania Knauss (born Melanija Knavs), who until this point was leading a relatively quiet life, meets New York-based businessman Donald Trump at a fashion week party held in the Kit Kat Club, Manhattan. It's reported that Trump (who was in the process of divorcing his second wife, Marla Maples at the time) was won over by Melania after she refused to give him her phone number, asking for his instead. Later that month (pictured above), the pair attended a film premier together.
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9 June 1999: Trump's divorce from Marla Maples is finalised
"After giving Donald two years to honour the verbal commitments he made to me during our 12-year relationship, I decided to walk away completely under the terms of the prenuptial agreement that had been placed before me just five days before our 1993 wedding," Maples says in a statement at the time.
Trump will go on to propose to Melania, making her his third wife, five years later.
9 November 1999: They discuss their sex life and Trump makes his first presidential bid
As Trump launched his campaign to become leader of the Reform Party (not the same Reform party lead by Nigel Farage, although this is an interesting coincidence), DJ Howard Stern called the political hopeful for a chat. Trump picked up and said he was in bed with Melania, then subsequently put her on the phone. When Stern asks what she's wearing, Melania replies "Not much!" and says ~ urgh, sorry ~ they have sex every night and that they have "a great time".
Trump adds, "When we walk into a restaurant, I watch grown men weep."
March 2000: Trump's first run for President – without Melania
Trump's election win back in 2016 wasn't the businessman's first foray into the political scene. Trump loses the race to become leader of the Reform Party to Pat Buchanan, who he later hit out at and branded a "Hitler lover". Around this time, it's said Melania broke up with Trump, possibly because the pressure of being in the spotlight became too much.
Early 2001: The pair get back together
Melania gets her Green Card, officially making her an American citizen, and moves into the penthouse at Trump Tower. They resume being regularly photographed at events together, including fashion week parties, the Vanity Fair Oscar's party and the Bloomberg's pre-dinner party, for the Annual White House Correspondents Dinner (pictured above).
26 April 2004: Trump proposes at the Met Gala
Presenting her with a diamond ring, thought to have cost $1.5m, Trump proposes to Melania at the Met Gala (and later praises her willingness to sign a pre-nup). "We're together five years, and these five years for whatever reasons have been my most successful," Trump told press at the time. "I have to imagine she had something to do with that."
Melania says to the New York Post, "It was a great surprise. We are very happy together."
22 January 2005: They marry in Florida
The extravagant affair is rumoured to rack up a bill of $2.5 million (with a casual $100,000 going on Melania's custom-designed Dior dress alone). After the church ceremony, the newlyweds and their 350 guests headed back to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to party in the newly renovated ballroom.
Also this year: while making a cameo on the soap Days Of Our Lives, Trump spoke to Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush and was recorded saying, "I don't even wait and when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything."
Many likened it to Trump encouraging and/or admitting sexual assault and the tape was used as evidence during one of his trials against E Jean Carroll in October 2022.
When the tape was made public in 2016, Trump responded by saying, “I said it, I was wrong, and I apologise.”
20 March 2006: Barron William Trump is born
Melania announces her pregnancy via a gold bikini photoshoot in Vogue. After the birth of Barron, Donald will go on to brag about how he never changes his nappy, citing Melania as taking on the bulk of the childcare.
When asked about her relationship with Trump's other children (Ivanka, Eric, Donald Junior, who she is just eight years older than, and Tiffany), Melania tells Harper's Bazaar, "I don't see myself as their mother. I am their friend and I'm here when they need me."
22 January 2015: It's their ten year wedding anniversary
Melania celebrates by tweeting a shot from their wedding, along with the words "#10year #anniversary 💍 @melaniatrump ❤️ @realDonaldTrump".
June 2015: Trump launches his second bid to become President
As Trump throws his name in the ring to become the Republican presidential nomination, Melania keeps an aloof persona in the press. She tells GQ, "I chose not to go into politics and policy... nobody knows and nobody will ever know [what she and Trump discuss]."
She later adds that she "encouraged him" to run for the role.
8 October 2016: Melania seems to condemn Trump's behaviour
A month before the big election, Melania weighs in on the resurfaced tapes in which her husband makes offensive and disparaging remarks about women, saying he "grabs them by the pussy". Melania says in response that she has accepted his apology, "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."
8 November 2016: Trump wins the US election
Melania, Barron and Trump's four other children are all in attendance at a rally New York rally when the news breaks. Later, Melania will deny that she cried "tears – and not of joy" upon hearing her husband had won the election, with many outlets, including Vanity Fair, reporting she desperately does not want to become First Lady.
20 January 2017: Trump moves into the White House alone
Melania officially becomes First Lady and Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, however, Melania remains in New York with their son until June (reportedly due to Barron's schooling).
On the inauguration day, the press and social media react to Trump not waiting for Melania to get out of the car, before walking up the White House steps. She is also seen smiling, then frowning, after Trump turns away from her during the prayer ceremony.
7 February 2018: The hand-swatting ramps up a notch
One of the earlier examples (of which there are many) of Melania dodging Trump's reaching hand emerges, as the pair are caught on film walking across the White House lawn.
25 March 2018: Stormy Daniels speaks out about alleged Trump affair
After years of rumours that Trump allegedly had an affair with adult entertainer Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) – which she claims began in the summer of 2006 and lasted "well into 2007" – Stormy gives a televised interview, claiming she was threatened and paid to keep quiet. "He was like, 'Wow, you are special. You remind me of my daughter'," she said on 60 Minutes. "He was like, 'You're smart, beautiful and a woman to be reckoned with, I like you'."
A White House spokesperson says of Stormy's allegations, "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."
12 October 2018: They are... fine
During an interview, in which she is asked by ABC reporter Tom Llamas if she loves her husband, Melania replies, "Yes. We are fine. Yes." She later added on the subject of his rumoured affair that she has "much more important things to think about and to do."
20 January 2021: They've officially left the building
Four controversial years in the White House come to an end. As Joe Biden was sworn in as the new President of the United States, Donald Trump told everyone to "have a good life" and skipped the inauguration ceremony (a record-breaking snub) in favour of heading to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.
Late 2023: Melania largely absent from Trump’s campaign trail
After sulking and claiming the 2020 election was 'stolen' from him, Trump campaigns aggressively ahead of the 2024 US election, Melania is conspicuously missing from rallies, court appearances and major campaign moments.
US media repeatedly note her absence, with sources briefing that she has renegotiated the terms of her public involvement and is unwilling to reprise a traditional First Lady role. Trump confirms she will not be campaigning much, fuelling further speculation about the state of their marriage.
"She's a private person, a great person, a very confident person, and she loves our country very much," Trump said via Meet The Press. "She'll be — at the appropriate time — she'll be out there."
April – May 2024: Melania skips Trump’s criminal hush money trial
During Trump’s New York criminal trial relating to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels — the first criminal trial of a former US president — Melania does not attend court at any point. Her absence is widely remarked upon, particularly given the trial’s direct connection to alleged infidelity shortly after the birth of their son. Trump is instead accompanied by political allies and aides.
January 2025: Melania attends Trump’s second inauguration
After winning the 2024 election, Trump returns to the White House claiming to want peace in the world and telling the nation it's time to ignore climate change and "drill baby, drill" for oil (and on a totally unrelated note: Greenland has a significant amount of untapped oil and gas).
At his second inauguration, Melania attends but draws attention for her rigid body language, minimal interaction with her husband and a carefully styled wide-brimmed hat that physically prevents a public kiss. The moment goes viral, reviving long-running commentary about distance and image management within the marriage, and echoing similar moments from Trump’s first term.
