Times Donald Trump Shut Down Rumors About Melania Getting Plastic Surgery

Donald and Melania Trump's marriage has been a source of gossip for just about as long as they've been together. Are the couple in love or do they secretly hate each other? (Donald's recent joke about leaving Melania for a Georgia activist who kissed him was a little too close for comfort to his actual romantic history). Did things get tense when the former president was found guilty of sexual assault against E.Jean Carroll, or when he was convicted of falsifying financial records related to an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels? And is there any truth to the rumors that the former first lady won't be living in the White House if her husband is elected to a second term?

The Trumps have diplomatically avoided any discussion about the state of their union to date. However, there is one rumor The Donald is only too happy to quash at every given opportunity. At 54 in 2024, Melania has aged marvelously, as befits a former model. As a result, inquiring minds have naturally been questioning whether she has gotten any surgical help to maintain her good looks, but Donald has denied this on more than one occasion. Her beauty, he says, is simply a matter of good genes. Still, Donald doesn't rule out the possibility his wife might opt for a bit of Botox or a facelift at some point down the road, and if she does, he promises we will know about it.

Murmurs about Melania Trump's looks grew especially loud in 2018, when the then-first lady grew even more reclusive than usual. The White House announced that she had undergone surgery for a kidney condition, but Melania's extensive absence led to speculation that she was actually recovering from a procedure considerably higher up. However, husband Donald Trump emphatically denied the rumors during an appearance in South Carolina. "[Melania] had an operation a few weeks ago. She's fine," he confirmed at the time (via The Hill). "They said she got a facelift. No. I would let you know. They couldn't hide that one for long." The then-president repeated his protest in a tweet posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly afterward, accusing "The Fake News Media" of starting the rumor in the first place. "All Fake, she is doing really well!" Donald wrote.

Mika Brzezinski can back this up too. During a 2016 appearance on "The New Abnormal" podcast, the MSNBC host dished about the time she and husband Joe Scarborough visited the Trumps at Mar-a-Lago. Brzezinski had recently had a chin tuck, and she claimed Melania seemed interested in knowing all the details. Overhearing the conversation, Donald approached and bragged, "You know, Melania has had no work done. She's perfect." Alas, he would use the incident as a vicious dig just a few months later. Brzezinski said some negative things about the controversial politician, and he quickly fired back on X, claiming she "was bleeding badly from a facelift" during her Florida visit.

Like her husband, Melania Trump takes pride in her looks and credits only Mother Nature for her exceptional beauty. In an interview with GQ conducted just months before the 2016 election, she denied having any work done. "I didn't make any changes," Melania asserted. "A lot of people say I am using all the procedures for my face. I didn't do anything. I live a healthy life, I take care of my skin and my body." The former model went on to say that she was even opposed to noninvasive treatments like Botox, insisting, "It's all me. I will age gracefully, as my mom does." Still, a person is entitled to change their mind. 

The former first lady does look markedly different today than she did in the photo above, from 2002, while Melania is almost unrecognizable compared to an even older photo shared on X. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Yamini recently, exclusively, told The List of several procedures Melania may have had done to achieve her drastic transformation. The doctor guessed a facelift might be responsible for her tautened appearance, or Melania might possibly have had fat injections in targeted areas. We may never know the truth since the privacy-loving former model isn't likely to go public with any news about tucks or jabs. 

Even if Melania does indulge in the occasional Botox injection, it's nothing your average Real Housewife hasn't done. If our beloved Dolly Parton can have her plastic surgeon on speed dial, so can Mrs. Trump.