Sharing This Article

Two days after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, he and his wife, Melania, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.

The newly inaugurated first couple has had the world’s attention in recent weeks leading up to the inauguration. Melania Trump has drawn a lot of attention due to her quiet and steady support of her husband, Donald, who admits that his wife prefers a more private life.

But, for the second time, Melania has proudly taken on the role of First Lady, bringing elegance and class to the White House in her own unique way.

Learn more about Donald and Melania Trump’s love story and the life they’ve built together over the last two decades, from their first meeting to becoming the First Family.

How did Donald and Melania meet?

Donald and Melania first met in 1998 when the latter was a model attending a New York Fashion Week party. Donald, who was there with a date after separating from his wife, Marla Maples, asked Melania for her number.

“He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn’t give it to him,” the future first lady later explained in a 2016 interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I said, ‘I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.’ I wanted to see what kind of number he would give me — if it was a business number, ‘What is this? I’m not doing business with you.’”

Donald responded by giving her phone numbers for “the office, Mar-a-Lago, home in New York, everything.” She called him a few days later.

Donald Trump’s divorce from Maples was finalized in 1999. He and Melania broke up briefly a year later but ultimately got engaged in 2004 when Donald popped the question at the Met Gala.

When did they get married?

Donald, 58, and Melania, 34, said “I do” in a lavish ceremony at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida. They and their 350 guests celebrated with a reception at Trump’s Mar-a-Largo.

Preston Bailey, a New York event planner who coordinated the event, shared details with WWD 20 years later. He told the outlet that Melania was very involved with the planning, and chose every decorative detail, including flower-covered chandeliers, archways, and dinner tables, as well as a rose-covered cake and gold chairs.

The bride wore a $187,000 dress that reportedly took more than 1,000 hours to create.

The star-studded event was attended by the likes of Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Kelly Ripa, Cindy Adams and Gayle King, as well as Tony Bennett, Richard Branson, Mohammed Al-Fayed, Heidi Klum, Billy Joel,Simon Cowell, Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons, Rudy Giuliani and his then-wife Judith Nathan, and Trump’s future political opponents, Bill and Hillary Clinton.

About Donald and Melania’s Family Life

In 2006, the Trump’s welcomed their only child together – a son named Barron. Donald already had four previous children from his prior two marriages: Donald Jr., Invanka, and Eric with first wife, Ivana, and Tiffany with second wife Marla Maples.

In an interview with Larry King, Donald told the host that he and Melania looked forward to having children together and that his wife was going to be a great mother.

“There’s nothing like a good marriage, and there’s nothing like having children. I have four great children. If you have the money, having children is great. Now, I know Melania, I’m not going to be doing the diapers. I’m not going to be making the food. I may never see the kids, frankly. No. She will be an unbelievable mother. I’ll be good father, but I’ll be, you know, doing my deals,” he said.

Melania has devoted her life to raising Barron as a hands-on mom. She told Parenting that being a mom was her first priority.

“I am a full-time mom; that is my first job. The most important job ever,” she told the outlet. “When he is in school I do my meetings, my sketches, and everything else.”

She told Harper’s Bazaar in 2016 that even though she can afford a nanny, she chooses to raise Barron herself.

“I don’t have a nanny. I have a chef, and I have my assistant, and that’s it. I do it myself. You know, those hours with your child are really important ones,” she told the outlet.

When Donald was elected to his first presidential term in 2017, Melania stayed in New York with Barron until he finished his school year. Melania and Barron then joined Donald to live in the White House for the remainder of his term.

How have Melania and Donald supported each other’s aspirations?

Melania Trump is known for being disciplined and keeps a healthy work-life balance that includes making time to support her husband’s political aspirations. Despite sharing slightly differing political views, the First Lady has proudly supported her husband, and he has supported her.

“He lets me be who I am, and he lets me believe what I believe. He lets me be my own person. And he does respect that, and I respect that as I let him be his own person. He has different beliefs and he will do what he believes,” Melania said in an interview about her autobiography that was released in 2024.

In September 2024, Melania defended her husband again critics who labeled him “a threat to democracy.”

“Is it really shocking that all this egregious violence goes against my husband? Especially that we hear the leaders from the opposition party and mainstream media branding him as a threat to democracy, calling him vile names? This needs to stop.”

Despite rarely appearing alongside her husband on the campaign trail prior to the election, Melania Trump has been by Donald’s side as he took the reigns once again as president. She stood next to him as he was sworn in to his second non-consecutive term on Monday (January 20) and was clearly proud of what they had accomplished.

During each of three inaugural balls held after Donald took the oath of office, the first couple looked as in love as ever as they shared slow dances.

Sharing This Article