Former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, have long presented a relationship that feels more formal than affectionate—and a closer look at their private lives only reinforces that perception.
During a campaign stop in Iowa on Thursday, Trump shared an awkward personal detail: the nickname he uses for his wife.
“I remember saying to our great First Lady…” he began, before adding, “I call her ‘First Lady.’ Isn’t it terrible?”
He continued: “I’m saying, ‘Good night, First Lady, my darling,’ because it reminds me that I’m president. That’s why.”
The moment came amid a meandering speech at the “Salute to America” event in Des Moines, where Trump drifted between topics—misstating soccer rules, proposing a UFC fight at the White House, and briefly touching on military recruitment—before returning to more offbeat anecdotes about his time in office.
Separate Bedrooms in the White House
The Trump marriage has long been a subject of speculation. Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House claims that Donald and Melania were the first couple since John and Jackie Kennedy to sleep in separate bedrooms at the White House.
According to the Irish Star, Trump even requested a lock on his bedroom door so he could eat cheeseburgers and watch TV undisturbed—without interruption from Melania or even the Secret Service.
Sources have repeatedly said Melania insisted on having her own bedroom—both at the White House and reportedly in their other residences—and that she often kept physical and emotional distance from her husband.
“It was no secret that Donald stayed in the master suite, and Melania had her own two-room space on the third floor,” one insider told Radar Online. “They’ll likely return to a similar arrangement—if not the same rooms—if they go back to the White House.”
A spokesperson for Trump has denied the claims about their sleeping arrangements.
Melania’s Conditions for a White House Return
Melania’s reluctance to return to Washington has also been widely reported. Sources have said that if Trump were to win a second term, one of Melania’s conditions would be maintaining her own space—whether in D.C., Florida, or even New York.
Her frosty relationship with First Lady Jill Biden was apparent early on, when she reportedly declined the customary tea invitation during the presidential transition.
And despite public statements suggesting she isn’t worried about returning to the role of First Lady, Melania has remained mostly absent from the campaign trail and public events.
A Distant, Yet Routine Marriage
Despite not sharing a bedroom, insiders have claimed the couple maintained a nightly routine together during Trump’s presidency.
“They didn’t sleep in the same room,” said a source, “but they ate dinner together every night and always talked before bed.”
Their nightly dinners may be one of the few shared rituals in what otherwise appears to be a distant and highly structured partnership—one that, much like their public appearances, seems more political than personal.
