Why Melania's Life Was Never The Same After Marrying Donald Trump

When Donald Trump became the Republican frontrunner for the presidential nomination in 2016, not a ton was known about his supermodel-turned-socialite wife, Melania Trump. Photographed at New York's most glamorous events with her signature smize, Melania was consistently by her husband's side throughout the campaign, and as we all know, eventually became First Lady (via GQ).

Based on the press coverage and the consistent media attention, it seemed as though Melania's life was turned upside-down when her husband assumed office, and rightly so; she was used to the Manhattan life, replete with luxury accomodations and five-star restaurants. Melania was a fashion aficionado, a mom to her son, Barron Trump, and seemed to be living life in the fast lane.

But when she became First Lady, Melania's life drastically changed, as most of us observed. But what a lot of people don't know is that Melania's life had been in constant flux since marrying Donald; she went from a model to one of New York's most famous stars, from Trump Tower to the White House. So buckle in, because here are all the reasons why Melania's life was never the same after marrying Donald Trump.

Before Melania Trump married Donald Trump she was somewhat famous, but after she and the "self-made billionaire" got hitched, her profile skyrocketed. As noted by NBC News, she'd appeared on a number of magazine covers as a model — from British GQ to the coveted U.S. Vogue — but Melania's marriage solidified her spot on the media stage. 

When Melania and Donald got married in January of 2005, Melania stole the spotlight not only for her regal beauty, but also because the dynamic between her and her new husband was very telling. According to The New Yorker, The Donald was happy with his new bride, and was described as "uncharacteristically bashful" on the big day. In that moment, it's as if Melania's fate was sealed, and her life would never be the same. 

Since becoming First Lady, Melania's life has continued to evolve. As noted by The Washington Post, she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico in 2017 (a decision that got some blowback given her husband's immigration policies). But one thing is for sure, Melania's spotlight is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Everyone knows that the First Family is protected by the Secret Service, but after Donald Trump took office, Melania Trump had to adjust to intense protection. As noted by The Washington Post, she and Donald had a bodyguard before their time in the White House, but the scale of protection drastically escalated; Secret Service members were always by the door, and Melania was worried at the amount of hate her husband had to contend with. "At the core, I think she's a private person who's spent a lot of time adjusting to public life," an insider revealed about the drastic change. 

Because of her marriage to Donald and his status as a president, Melania will continue to have protection even after Donald leaves office. As noted by ABC News, the Secret Service's Miami field office has started to look at "physical reinforcements" at Mar-a-Lago. Police also said that the Secret Service will scale back the "law enforcement footprint around Trump Tower in Manhattan," as it will not serve as the Trumps' primary residence. Still, Melania's life will never be the same.

After Donald Trump got elected, Melania Trump made it known that she wasn't going to budge on a number of things. Specifically, she wouldn't leave Manhattan until her son, Barron Trump, finished the school year. But because of her steadfastness, Melania's standing with Donald's friends began to change, and her life would never be the same. 

According to The Washington Post, the first weeks of Donald's administration "were marked by personnel clashes, embarrassing leaks, and a controversial travel ban that caused major protests at airports." Some even said that the new president was unhinged during press conferences, and that chaos was imminent. As such, Donald's friends began to lash out at Melania, as they saw her choice to stay in New York as part of the problem. "That woman! She will be the end of him," Thomas Barrack, Donald's friend and chair of his inauguration, said at a meeting. "She is stubborn. She should be with her husband." 

Things got so desperate that Melania's standing with Donald's grown children began to change, as they started calling her "urging her to spend more time with their dad."

We can't even imagine what kind of insane adjustments have to be made in one's life before becoming First Lady. The role, the campaign, and everything surrounding a presidency seems to just upend everything in life, and that was something that Melania Trump was extremely aware of when Donald Trump won the election in 2016. 

As noted by The Washington Post, Melania was not thrilled about the changes that were to take place in her life, as it would never be the same. According to an inside source, "She said, 'Stop calling me first lady,'" after the election took place. Yikes. 

So why was Melania so against the role and the responsibilities that would come with it? Apparently, Melania hasn't been the only First Lady to find the overnight adjustment to White House life difficult. She's also reportedly a "careful planner," and wanted to take her time to do things the way she wanted to. "No matter how intense the pressure during the campaign, she refused to be hurried," The Washington Post reported. We can respect it.

Melania Trump was used press coverage before marrying Donald Trump. But after the wedding, Melania's life would never be the same. Her personal and political choices were suddenly the subject of articles, and she found herself navigating stories about scandal. 

For example, Melania had to answer questions about power and illegal speculations, like the expository reporting from the Daily Mail that accused her and former modeling agent Paolo Zampolli of running an escort service in the '90s (via The New York Times). Gone were the days of questions about fashion, because thanks to her marriage to Donald, every aspect of Melania's past and present was fair game for reporters. 

The drastic changes Melania's press coverage continue to be a sore spot for The Donald. In December 2020, Donald shared a tweet from Breitbart News that said, "the elitist snobs in the fashion press have kept the most elegant First Lady in American history off the covers of their magazines for four consecutive years." So note to self, don't bring up press coverage to Donald any time soon.

Melania Trump's life in New York, pre-Donald Trump's political career, seemed glamourous. Her residence was the gorgeous penthouse in Trump Tower, she dined at Manhattan's finest restaurants, and we're sure there was shopping involved in her daily life. But as noted by The Guardian, Melania's life was never the same after Donald won the White House. 

Most notably, Trump Tower became ground zero for protests, which meant that security was seriously beefed up. There was even a no-fly zone put in place over the building. To that end, gone were the days of Melania being able to step out onto Fifth Avenue; she was trapped inside by supporters, protestors, law enforcement, and the press. 

Despite the turmoil on her doorstep, Melania was determined to stay in New York so her son could finish school, but according to The Washington Post, remaining in Manhattan had a big price tag. Her presence created a huge problem for security and law enforcement, and the NYPD said it cost at least $125,000 a day to protect her. Yikes, not a change we would gladly welcome in our lives.

When Donald Trump went from reality television star to president, Melania Trump's life was never the same. As noted by The Washington Post, her influence over Donald and the impact that she had on him began to shift; instead of being asked questions about fashion, she was being asked about immigration policy, Donald's stances on the issues, and her influence on his decision making. "Melania is very behind-the-scenes but unbelievably influential," Sean Spicer, the former White House press secretary for Donald's administration, explained. "She is not one to go in and say, 'Hire this person, fire this person.' But she lets the president know what she thinks, and he takes her views very seriously." 

The sentiment about Melania's influence was shared by New Jersey's former governor Chris Christie, who said that "she picks her spots when she wants to speak assertively, but when she does, the president listens." Looks like Melania has changed so much over the years — she's gone from the glam days of New York to the life-altering days of D.C.

Drastic changes are enough to make anyone rethink their relationship with their partner, and that was the case for Melania Trump. According to The Washington Post, Melania renegotiated her prenuptial agreement with Donald Trump during the presidential campaign, and did so under the guise of "taking care of Barron." The newspaper also noted that Donald has spoken highly about prenups, and had called rich men who don't have one "losers." 

Melania seemed to clue in to the fact that not only has she been Donald's longest lasting marriage, but "a lot had changed since she signed her prenup," and she felt that she's played an important role in his success. Melania made sure to negotiate a "more generous financial deal for her and Barron," and used the timing of the campaign and the move to D.C. as leverage, an element of power and control that her husband even wrote about in The Art of the Deal. "Leverage is having something the other guy wants. Or better yet, needs. Or best of all, simply can't do without," Donald shared. Looks like she took a lesson from those pages.

Donald Trump has been known for his wide array of businesses — Trump Steaks, Trump University, there's probably a Trump winery out there. But Melania Trump used her marriage to the mogul to boost her own business ventures, and started two companies of her own: Melania Timepieces and Jewelry and Melania Caviar Complexe C6, as noted by Entrepreneur. 

But of course, Melania's business interests and the potential conflict due to her role as First Lady caught some serious attention. According to The Washington Post, she came under fire when the new White House website listed the details of her jewelry line through retailer QVC. A spokesperson for Melania said that the inclusion of her jewelry line on the White House website was not designed to be an advertisement for the products, but as factual information about the new First Lady. 

But the timing was all a bit off, as the Trump White House was reportedly coming under fire for potential conflicts of interest between Donald and his business empire. Word to the wise, stop selling things under your name if you ever get elected to office.

Did you know that Donald Trump was once a registered Democrat? Yep. So now that you know that, it might not come as a huge shock to know that other famous Democratic politicians once ran in the same circle as the Trumps. And, hold onto your socks: Hillary and Bill Clinton attended Donald and Melania Trump's wedding. We'll give you a minute to let that all sink in. 

As noted by PolitiFact, Hillary attended the ceremony and Bill showed up at the reception. Additionally, U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo said in 2015 that "Mr. Trump has a close friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton. They were at his last wedding. He has contributed to the Clintons' foundation. He has contributed to Mrs. Clinton's Senate campaigns. All of this is very suspicious." We agree. 

Of course, since The Donald took office, his and Melania's life was never the same; When it comes to rubbing shoulders with politicians, and it's safe to assume that the Clintons aren't fans of the Trumps anymore.

Before Melania Trump was Melania Trump, she was Melania Knauss, the Slovenian girlfriend of New York's real estate mogul and a model that desperately wanted to be on the cover of GQ. The publication noted that back in the day, before she married Donald Trump, Melania did a naked profile photo shoot on Donald's Boeing 727 airplane, "wearing handcuffs, wielding diamonds and holding a chrome pistol." 

So it's no surprise that Melania's life was never the same after she married Donald, because instead of appearing in magazines in her birthday suit, Melania graced the cover of Vogue in her wedding dress. Gone were the days of tacky chrome props and handcuffs, as Melania traded life in the model fast lane for the life of a New York socialite. 

As noted by The New York Times, Melania "settled into a life that...might resemble that of any number of trophy spouses in New York, Palm Beach and Paris, the three cities Mrs. Trump says she loves most." Sounds great.

Melania Trump has undergone a stunning transformation. According to the BBC, Melania was once a small town girl from Slovenia, the daughter of a car salesman and a designer. She traded in that life for one of modeling and glamour, and made her way to the United States. After that, her life was never the same.

But due in part to her association with her husband and the controversial nature of some of his policies, Melania's home country made their feelings about the native Slovenian known. As noted by the BBC, a statue of Melania in Slovenia was set on fire in July 2020. Apparently the statue really wasn't that cute to begin with, however, as some people compared it to The Smurfs. Still, the news wasn't great for the First Lady. 

The statue was made by American artist Brad Downey, and was set on fire on July 4, the United States' Independence Day. The statue was promptly removed, but the damage was already done.

Finding out that your spouse is cheating on you is life altering, and Melania Trump had to deal with Donald Trump's infidelity on the public stage — not a change in her life that we envy. As noted by The Washington Post, the campaign brought Donald's "alleged serial infidelities" to light. Reportedly, Melania painfully found out about her husband's affairs along with the rest of the nation — yikes. 

One of the most high-profile affairs on Donald's part was with adult film star Stormy Daniels. The story dominated the headlines for weeks, and was a situation that stung the First Lady. According to The Guardian, Melania was caught on tape calling Daniels a derogatory name and complaining that Daniels would be featured in Vogue. "Go Google and read it," Melania allegedly said. "Annie Leibovitz shot the porn hooker, and she will be [in] one of the issues, September or October." Having to deal with that kind of personal pain, all while it is being projected on the national scale, is not a situation that we wish on anyone. No wonder her life was never the same afterwards.

It's easy to fall out of touch with friends when you move to another state or leave a job, but Melania Trump suffered losses in her friendship circles in part due to her marriage to Donald Trump. According to The New York Times, Melania's former close friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, released a book entitled Melania and Me, a tell-all about the First Lady and the friendship the two women once shared. After that, Melania's life was never the same.

Wolkoff and Melania met in 2003 and became quite close, and Wolkoff even became an adviser in the White House. But the friendship between the two women changed in February 2018, when Wolkoff resigned after damaging reports about her involvement with the inauguration came to light. "Being with her was like having the sister I never had before — but a really confident, perfectly coiffed, ultimate older sister," Wolkoff wrote in her book. But the tone shifted drastically. "Her selfishness is so deep, it enables her to keep her distance from the rest of the world." Yikes.