As Donald Trump took to the stage in Florida‘s Palm Beach Convention Center to declare victory in the US elections, Melania Trump was the model wife.
The 54-year-old graced the stage hand-in-hand with presumed President-elect Trump, 78, before he praised his ‘beautiful wife’ for her dedication and for ‘working very hard to help people’ in his victory speech.
But the former First Lady’s face dropped as Donald Trump hailed a new ‘golden age of America’ – during which she is expected to be by his side, after four years of avoiding the spotlight while her husband endured numerous scandals.
Model and businesswoman Melania largely stayed off of the campaign trail for this turbulent election, though did appear at the Republican National Convention in July before introducing her husband at a Madison Square Garden event last month.
But the intensely private Slovenian-American now finds herself set for another highly public four-year jail term in the White House, whose well-manicured surroundings she once compared to a Venezuelan prison.
Melania Trump stands with Donald Trump and Barron Trump as he takes to the stage in Florida to hail his election victory
She shared a kiss with the 47th President-elect as he took to the stage – after remaining largely invisible on the campaign trail
However, she looked altogether more muted as Trump launched into his victory speech
Friends have suggested the First Lady-to-be may not move to the White House for Donald Trump’s second term
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk out of the Oval Office and towards the Rose Garden of the White House in November 2020
Friends of Melania have reportedly suggested she will not take up residence in the White House
She has been living in an apartment in Trump Tower, New York City, with son Barron, 18, as he undertakes his studies at New York University – and sources have suggested she will continue living there and, on occasion, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Melania reportedly hated living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – and once infamously compared the presidential palace to a Venezuelan military prison.
In October 2017, the then-First Lady met with Lilian Tintori, the wife of one-time Venezuelan political prisoner Leopoldo López, and said the White House felt as confining as a prison, the Washington Post reported.
Multiple sources confirmed to the newspaper that she had made the comparison to Ramo Verde Prison, where López was reportedly tortured as he was imprisoned on allegedly politically motivated charges.
Her then-spokesperson Stephanie Grisham denied she had made the comments, firing back that the First Lady had offered only ‘words of encouragement and strength’ and that she loved living in the White House.
After leaving the White House under the shadow of backing her husband’s unproven allegations of electoral fraud, she has largely remained hidden away.
She did not, for instance, accompany her husband to court as he stood trial for – and was convicted of – falsifying business records over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels after she claimed to have had an affair with Trump.
Nor was she there to take his hand at court in Miami as he pleaded not guilty to allegations of handling classified documents, or in Georgia where he was charged with crimes linked to efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.
She stayed off the campaign trail almost entirely, and maintained her background role after an attempt on his life in Pennsylvania in July – issuing only a written statement after the shooting.
‘When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, where on the brink of devastating change,’ she wrote, describing Trump as ‘the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times’.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump after voting in Florida on Tuesday
Family affairs appear to be an exception – as she was spotted applauding young Barron as he graduated from school in Florida earlier this year.
But by and large, the former – and likely soon-to-be – First Lady has evaded the limelight and spent her time building her own business empire, away from that of her husband’s.
Her new memoir, Melania, reveals a desire to be a fully independent woman despite the apparent opulence that comes with being married to Donald Trump.
The book – hailed by the ex-POTUS as ‘the number one best selling book in the country’ in his victory speech – sees her assert: ‘I firmly believe in maintaining control over one’s own life, regardless of who you marry.’
Financial disclosures reported by DailyMail.com show how she has raked in six-figure sums for appearing at Republican events in the years after she vacated the White House, and even sold a hat she wore on a French state visit for $170,000.
While sales of her memoir will continue to fuel her financial independence, the book failed to shed light on her relationship with her husband, refuelling an already years-old blaze of speculation as to whether her marriage to Donald is a happy one.
One of the most revealing passages read: ‘I took pleasure in cooking for him, supporting him in his daily routines, and maintaining a beautiful home.
‘It was my priority to safeguard his welfare, meticulously attending to every aspect of his life.’
Another suggested that ‘occasional political disagreements between me and my husband’ are ‘part of our relationship’, but that those spats are settled behind closed doors.
The book was not exactly insightful, save for the revelation that, counter to traditional Republican values, she was pro-choice on abortion rights – a clearer stance than that of her husband, who has wavered on the issue for years.
But friends say she’ll go beyond the apparent indecision that stopped her from moving into the White House for five months after the 2016 election and simply opt out of moving in at all.
‘She definitely won’t be going back to Washington to live,’ a source told People this week.
‘She’ll stay between Florida and NYC. This is not what she signed up for.’