A former aide to Melania Trump has asserted that the First Lady is unlikely to part ways with Donald Trump for a very particular reason.
Donald and Melania Trump first met each other in 1998, and they eventually married in 2005 in a lavish ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida. The couple welcomed their son, Barron, a year later. Becoming the First Lady was probably not what Melania anticipated when she began her relationship with the future president.
Recalling her first encounter with Trump, Melania shared with Harper’s Bazaar in 2016: “He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn’t give it to 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.'”
Although Trump is now serving his second term as president, the 79-year-old has faced numerous controversies over the years.
In May 2024, the Republican was found guilty on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records, connected to a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who alleged a past sexual encounter with Trump.
The $130,000 ‘hush money’ payment was aimed at enhancing Trump’s prospects during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Stephanie Grisham, formerly an aide to Melania, discussed with CNN last year Melania’s perspective during the period her husband was charged with criminal offenses.
Grisham explained to the news outlet: “She knew what she was getting into. She may have been concerned about how it affected his future image, but she wasn’t going anywhere.”
Ultimately, Trump received an unconditional discharge, indicating that while he was considered a convicted felon, he would not serve any jail time.
Throughout the trial, Michael Cohen, a former attorney for the president, suggested that Trump was more preoccupied with his election as POTUS than with Melania’s reaction to news of the alleged affair.
“How long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long,” Cohen claimed Trump remarked, though the president has refuted this statement.
Offering her take on the issue, Grisham commented on CNN in 2024: “I think that comment [from Trump] to Cohen rang absolutely true. She’s happy, she’s got a very good life. She’s not going anywhere, that’s been proven. And so I absolutely believe he said something like that to Michael Cohen.”