The Truth About Melania And Donald Trump's Relationship Today

News outlets, experts, and the average internet-savvy American had a field day (make that a field four years) hypothesizing about Melania and Donald Trump's marriage during his presidency. Whether it was a lack of hand-holding in 2018 or pretty out-there theories that Melania possessed a body double while serving as the first lady, there was never a dull moment for the couple once Donald was elected in 2016. And that's not necessarily over now.

After leaving the White House and relocating to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Melania (who said "I do" back in 2005) has no longer played things so subtly. At least, that's how the internet is seeing it. The figure elicited reactions from various Twitter users when, after she and Donald touched down from D.C. to their new Floridian home, she promptly left her husband's side as he stayed to greet supporters. "Melania is totally done. She already quit posing," one tweeter wrote on her behavior. In fact, Melania and Donald have only been seen together once — on Valentine's Day — since his leaving office, as of this writing. 

Many people have been left wondering if marriage-wise, things have taken a turn for the better or for the worse, and it's hard to blame them! Read on for the state of affairs between Melania and Donald based on new reports.

Former first couple Melania and Donald Trump celebrated Mother's Day with son Barron at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, as People reported (though they weren't photographed together). While ex-Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman told the Daily Mail in 2020, "Melania is counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce," the two seem steadying on ... for now. "She has their relationship down to a science," a source at Mar-a-Lago told People. "She does what she wants and also continues as Mrs. Trump, so it's unlikely to expect much out of the order at this point." Meanwhile, on Donald, the source added, "He is very routine [and] rarely deviates on anything in this area." Fair enough!

The Trumps' post-White House living situation is interesting, with Melania reportedly only occasionally seeing Donald due to their splitting time between New Jersey and Florida for the sake of her son's education. "Melania and her family will spend time with Donald but also continue working with Barron's school and keeping him up to date on his extracurricular activities," the source told People.

Meanwhile, Donald is temporarily closing Mar-a-Lago for the summer and is expected to stay at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. in the meantime, per The Independent. Does that mean the summer could bring the Trumps closer together? We'll see!

Is Melania and Donald Trump's marriage all about keeping up with appearances? According to their friends, that's somewhat true. It's not often we see the pair publicly embrace each other or shower the other with compliments. While some couples understandably prefer to keep their romance private, former aide and friend of Melania, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, described their relationship as "transactional," told BBC's Newsnight. "Donald got arm candy, the Vogue cover legitimized Melania which legitimized Donald as well, and Melania got two dynamic decades."

Wolkoff, who published an exposé on her relationship with Melania in 2019, also said the former first lady sought out Donald, knowing it could advance her career and profile — but never expected to be one of the most influential women in the world. "She was a young model, she was striving, she didn't have the success yet. She met Donald, she married, she had a son, she became an American citizen and 10 years after that, she is the first lady of the United States," she began. "So I do believe it was a magic moment and I also believe it was a made-for-TV moment."

Still, many are surprised Melania stuck around with all of Donald's professional and personal controversies. But a "friendly acquaintance" of the Trumps told The Times, per the Mirror, that he'd be "shocked" if she ever left him.

When Donald Trump was forced out of office, people were betting big on a "post-presidential divorce," per The Washington Post, but friends believe it's highly unlikely it'll ever come to that. "The likelihood is 99.99% they will stay together. I'd truly be shocked if Melania formally separated and divorced from her husband," society publicist R Couri Hay told The Times, per the Mirror. Hay said Melania's tough upbringing in Slovenia gave her the ability to withstand anything — including Donald's numerous indiscretions — and that she really just craves "stability." "She grew up in a pseudo-communist difficult life. When she married, she wanted stability, romantic stability, financial stability, and through it all the one thing still standing is that marriage."

Unofficial Melania autobiographers and writers also believe the former first lady won't abandon Donald due to their shared experience as America's highest political family — even with their fair share of "criticism." "But what I heard over and over again was that a bunker mentality developed, and she felt closer to him because both of them were taking criticism," Mary Jordan, author of "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump," told the Times (via NZ Herald). "When you feel like you're under siege, it does make some marriages stronger."