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Inside Melania Trump's Double Life, Including Her Separate White House Schedule
Emma Bleznak
Melania and Donald Trump are certainly a distinct first couple. They sleep in separate rooms, rarely present a united front, and have changed both White House and Washington tradition in the year and a half since Donald was elected POTUS.
Sources close to the first lady revealed Melania Trump's "double life" and the White House schedule that separates her from her husband. Plus, the one thing that points to their potential separation (page 7).
She wakes up after Donald's morning tweet-spree
Her day starts after her husband has already started "executive time." | Win McNamee/Getty Images
Two sources close to the first couple said that Donald wakes up at around 5:30 every morning to watch cable news and … you guessed it … tweet. Donald and Melania have "remarkably separate day routines" from the start. Melania wakes up (notably in her separate room) a bit later to get son Barron ready for school.
According to The Washington Post, Melania's reserved presence is a result of the Stormy Daniels' scandal which has rocked the media and the Trump family since the start of 2018.
Next: How Melania is keeping up with her first lady duties independently.
She's raised her profile independently following Stormy Daniels
She's publicly spending time seperately from her husband. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
While Melania hasn't publicly addressed Donald's alleged affairs with Stormy Daniels or Karen McDougal, she's stepped out in Washington apart from her husband. She showed up to Donald's State of the Union address separately (the first first lady to ever do so).
Melania and her team released her "Be Best" initiative the week of May 8, 2018, in an effort to give the first lady her own agenda. It focuses on the "social, emotional, and physical health" of children, however, it received criticism for its similarities to an FTC booklet from the Obama era.
Next: One thing remains her top priority.
She's focusing on children — including her own
She's looking to spend time focusing on children. | Melania Trump via Twitter
"Her focus all along has been children, and this launch is meant to formalize what her role will be for the next three to seven years," Melania's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. She added that the first lady plans to spend the rest of her husband's presidency focusing on the "Be Best" initiative and children's issues.
Melania and Donald's 12-year-old son Barron remains her top priority. Melania notably refrained from moving to Washington D.C. so that Barron could finish out the school year in New York. The first lady considers herself "a full-time mom," and calls it "the most important job ever."
Next: Don't expect PDA from the first couple.
She chooses to keep her relationship private
The relationship seems frosty in public. | MOLLY RILEY/AFP/Getty Images
Regardless of what their spokespeople may claim, it doesn't take a relationship expert to recognize the Trumps have a cold relationship. Whether you watched Melania resist Trump's touch at his State of the Union address or swat away his hand on the tarmac, it's clear the first lady isn't a fan of PDA.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an old friend of Melania's, told The NYT she's a "dignified, private person, and she'll deal with her personal life in private." She also attributed Melania's disdain for public relationships to her "old-world European" upbringing.
Next: She makes a point to show up to these events sans Donald.
She attends high-profile events solo
She attended Barbara Bush's funeral alone. | David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images
Melania attends more events solo than she does with Donald lately, including former first lady Barbara Bush's funeral. The day after Karen McDougal granted Anderson Cooper an interview on CNN, Melania rode alone on Air Force One.
The first lady is also selective about which publications she allows to interview her. She told The Washington Post she and the president are "very independent" during his campaign. "We give ourselves and each other space," she added.
Next: Meal time isn't family time for the Trumps.
They don't eat together in the White House
She rarely sets foot in the Oval Office. | White House
Or interact in their temporary home, for that matter. Several aides confirmed that more often than not, the president and first lady don't eat together. Several staff members told The NYT that Melania put up a wall in the West Wing while she renovates her office.
She rarely, if ever, sets foot in the West Wing (where Donald's office is located) unless she has official duties to attend to.
Next: The final nail in the double-life casket.
They spend their weekends separately
While Trump golfs at Mar-a-Lago, Melania usually stays back with Barron. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Several close confidants to the couple claim they're usually apart when they have free time. "They spend very little to no time together," a longtime friend of the president said.
Donald prefers to frequent Mar-a-Lago when possible (especially on holidays and weekends) and golfs with powerful fellow businessmen and politicians. Melania is notably absent from Mar-a-Lago and likely spends her time caring for Barron or working on her individual duties.
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