The Real Reason Melania Trump Refused To Give Donald Trump Her Number When They Met

It would be rare for anyone today to not know who Melania and Donald Trump are. Though businessman and reality star Donald Trump was never a "nobody," his presidency made him infamous while elevating the visibility of his wife Melania Trump as First Lady. But the marriage, the titles, and the now-historic notoriety might have never happened, had Donald played his cards differently with Melania when they first met.

The former supermodel, who hails from Slovenia, went by Melania Knauss in the '90s when she appeared on the cover of publications like Harper's Bazaar and GQ. Around that same time, she and her future husband first met in 1998. To say that she was unimpressed with "The Apprentice" star is an understatement. Trump had reportedly arrived at the Kit Kat Club in New York with a date — fellow model Celina Midelfart.

According to The Cut, Donald Trump was so immediately smitten with Melania, that he made an excuse to get his date Celina Midelfart to go to the restroom just so he could talk to the supermodel who would be the future First Lady. But Melania was a friend of Celina and didn't want anything to do with stealing her beau, ultimately refusing even to give Donald her phone number.

When Donald Trump approached Melania Trump at the club, she reportedly didn't know of his wealth or fame but had heard of his notorious reputation. Therefore, when he made moves to get her number behind his date's back, she wasn't surprised. Telling GQ, "If I give him my number, I'm just one of the women he calls." Instead, Melania told Donald to give her his information, and she would make the first move if she was interested. It wasn't a move to maintain her privacy, but a test.

She recalled to the outlet, "I wanted to see what his intention [was]. It tells you a lot [about] the man what kind of number he gives you." The supermodel did not want a business number. Had Donald Trump proffered the direct line to his work secretary, Melania may have immediately tossed it in the trash. Somehow, the former President of the United States passed with flying colors, giving her all of his contact information —including his personal numbers. 

Still, things weren't all sunshine and roses between the pair. Melania Trump waited a week to use the number, and even when they began officially dating, they had their problems. She broke up with him not long after their relationship began, fearing that he wasn't faithful. But less than six months later, they were a couple again, eventually marrying in 2005.

Despite being married for almost two decades, Donald and Melania Trump's relationship has long been picked over by the public with a fine-tooth comb. Due to Melania's tendency for ambiguous facial expressions that give nothing away — especially while at her husband's side — some questioned her feelings about her former position as First Lady, with outlets like The Guardian openly referring to Mrs. Trump as "reluctant."  

Videos have circulated of Melania reportedly refusing to hold her husband's hand and appearing to awkwardly swerve away to narrowly miss a kiss from him. It's no surprise that the pair isn't regularly photographed engaging in PDA, nor do they post super-romantic photos and sentiments on social media like many other celebrity couples. Their lack of closeness has certainly created confusion around whether or not Melania truly is happy in her marriage.

Nevertheless, Donald Trump maintains that he and the ex-supermodel get on fabulously in their marriage, stating during an interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show," "We get along. We actually get along very well." According to Trump himself, it's simply that Melania is more reclusive and isn't trying to garner media attention. There may be some truth in that, as Melania is noticeably absent from important events, possibly shying away from media attention and publicity. Does she actually regret calling the number Trump gave her in 1998? We may never know.