The question echoing through Washington, D.C., is getting louder by the day: Where is Melania Trump? The First Lady of the United States has been conspicuously absent since her husband, Donald Trump, took office again earlier this year, prompting speculation about the state of their marriage and her role in his presidency.
Despite a few public appearances, Melania has remained largely out of the spotlight. According to journalist and author Michael Wolff, who has spent years chronicling Donald Trump’s political career, the explanation is straightforward: “They are not together.”
“At one point I asked someone who’s very close to them, and I said, ‘so what’s going on?'” Wolff told 60 Minutes Australia. “And this person looked at me like I was a real dunce and then said, ‘she hates his f—ing guts’.”
While the comment has been widely disputed by Trump supporters and White House insiders, it adds fuel to ongoing rumors about the couple’s relationship. Anita McBride, an expert on American first ladies, dismissed the idea that Melania’s absence indicates trouble, saying, “I think it’s a marriage that works for them. Maybe it’s not your definition of a happy marriage, maybe it might not be mine, but it’s certainly theirs.”
One of the most debated points is Melania’s decision not to live full-time in the White House. “I will be in the White House. And when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach. But my first priority is to be a mum, to be a first lady, to be a wife,” she said in a previous interview.
Still, Wolff insists her absence—both from public appearances and major events like court hearings and campaign rallies—is telling. “It’s glaring, it’s exceptional. These are two people who live separate lives. Everything is separate,” he said.
Melania’s retreat from public life may also be linked to past scandals, such as the Stormy Daniels affair. “She knew who she married. She wasn’t marrying a saint,” said Kate Bennett, author of a biography on Melania. “Did she think that their private marital issues would be so publicly divulged? Absolutely not.”
The First Lady’s office responded to the segment with a sharply worded statement, calling it “unprofessional and irresponsible” and asking for her privacy to be respected.
Yet for Wolff, the question remains unanswered: “Where is Melania?”