Melania Trump wasn't exactly a constant during Donald Trump's 2024 election campaign - a marked difference from 2016 and 2020. While she was by Trump's side at the polling station and on stage when her husband declared victory on 6 November, Melania was noticeably absent from the Trump family victory photo.
For the most part Melania has abstained from attending any political events during her husband's campaign. She was not at any of his rallies in the summer, or at Trump's first presidential debate against Joe Biden in June. And crucially, she was not in attendance during his hush money trial hearings, or when he was found guilty in May. As a result, many have been asking the question: Where is Melania Trump? Unfortunately, the Trump 'First Family' photo does little to answer it.
It's a photo that features Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Kai Trump, Barron Trump, Donald Trump, Chloe Sophia Trump, Tristan Milos Trump, Vannessa Trump, Spencer Frederick Trump, Donald John Trump III, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, Elon Musk,X-AE-A12 and Lara Trump – so Melania's absence has sparked understandable concern online. Kai Trump even captioned the photo 'the whole squad'.
Although Melania supported her husband on election night and posted about his victory on social media, it's been reported that her lack of enthusiasm during Trump's campaign trail is because she doesn't relish the idea of becoming First Lady again.
According to a report by Page Six, Melania made a pact with her husband of 19 years that if he won the presidency again, she would not take on full first lady responsibilities. Rather, Melania intends to spend a portion of every month in New York City with her son who is studying at NYU.
She may, then, be planning to adopt a more ad hoc approach to the role. During Trump's campaign trail, she appeared at a handful of events and introduced her husband at his rally at Madison Square Garden on 27 October. Prior to that, on Thursday 18 July, she made an appearance to support her husband at the Republican National Convention. Dressed in red, Melania watched Trump's address and then joined him on stage, walking to the podium as balloons fell from the ceiling. The pair shared a hug and kiss on the cheek.
In fact, following the release of her memoir (which her husband has publicly admitted not to have read), Melania appears to be distancing herself from Trump in more ways than one. Most recently, an excerpt from her book Melania revealed her pro choice stance on abortion, which comes in stark contrast to that of the Republican presidential hopeful.
What has Melania Trump said about abortion rights?
In an excerpt from her book published on 8 October she writes, 'It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government.' It goes without saying that her husband is a vocal opponent to women's reproductive rights.
The comments are uncharacteristically political for the former first lady, especially given how out of step they are with her own husband's party. She later details the 'legitimate reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion' and includes danger to the life of the mother, rape or incest, often exceptions under state bans, and also 'a congenital birth defect, plus severe medical conditions'.
Before discussing abortion in the book, Melania says she has also clashed with her husband on some aspects of immigration policy too. She said, 'Occasional political disagreements between me and my husband are part of our relationship, but I believed in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him.'
Are Melania and Donald Trump getting a divorce?
Given her intermittent absence during the campaign trail, and indeed in the recent family photo, as well as those comments in her memoir, many people are beginning to wonder whether Melania and Donald Trump are getting divorced.
At the start of Trump's election campaign it seemed more likely, given Melania's lack of appearances and a reported from Page Six in September 2023 which claimed that Melania has renegotiated her prenup if Trump wins a second term. 'Over the last year, Melania and her team have been quietly negotiating a new "postnup" agreement,' the source claimed. 'This is at least the third time Melania has renegotiated the terms of her marital agreement.'
However, Melania was present on election night and has publicly congratulated her husband on social media. 'The majority of Americans have entrusted us with this important responsibility. We will safeguard the heart of our republic – freedom,' she wrote. 'I anticipate the citizens of our nation rejoining in commitment to each other and rising above ideology for the sake of individual liberty, economic prosperity, and security. American energy, skill, and initiative will bring together our best minds to propel our nation forward forevermore.'
As such, there are no signs to suggest the couple are on the brink of divorce - even in light of Trump's alleged affair with Stormy Daniels during their marriage, which was at the centre of his court case in May.
What crimes was Donald Trump found guilty of?
In May, Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his historic criminal trial in New York. He hit out at the court saying the verdict was a ‘disgrace’. Aside from the public humiliation of the verdict, the case was centred around Trump’s alleged sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels in 2006. He was married to Melania Trump at the time, and she had given birth to their son Barron Trump four months prior.
While Trump was due to be sentenced on 11 July, it has been pushed back until after the election on 5 November. Trump could face time in prison, although legal experts say a fine is more likely.
What did Stormy Daniels say about her relationship with Donald Trump while he was married to Melania?
Stormy Daniels claims that she had sex with Trump in 2006, which he denies, and that she was paid to stay quiet about it ahead of the 2016 election, which Trump won. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen said he was told to pay Daniels a $130,000 (around £100,000) hush-money fee to silence her.
The payment itself was not illegal, but prosecutors said Trump recorded the reimbursement to Cohen as a legal expense. The former president was also accused of violating state election law.
What does Melania Trump think about Donald's conviction?
While Melania Trump has not given a statement about the trial, her former long-term adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has offered her insight into what may be happening behind closed doors.
Speaking on CNN she said, ‘I think the family is speaking very clearly and vocally to Donald, as Melania always does, and as I used to witness. I think she’s telling him exactly how she feels and I think she is holding a mirror up to him to show him that his brazen attempts of trying to subvert our democracy and his attempt to hush everyone into believing that he did or did not sleep with Stormy Daniels has nothing to do with the fact that this is about election interference.’
When asked how Melania might feeling about the allegations, Wolkoff continued, ‘I think, you know, that Donald finally got caught. Along the way, Melania knew exactly who she married. She knew that this was a transactional marriage – she became a top model and he became a loving, doting father. It set them up for their run for the White House.’
And as long as that agreement continues to work for both of them, Melania and Donald Trump will likely be staying together.