Even some of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters have to admit that from the outside, his relationship with Melania Trump is very odd. We’ve all seen those weird instances where she seemingly doesn’t want him to even touch her, and we all remember surprising relationship moments like when Melania took her sweet time moving out of Trump Tower and joining her husband in The White House.
Now, with all of Donald Trump’s legal drama unfolding in real-time, many have taken a closer look at this unconventional relationship and began asking the obvious question: why the heck does Melania even stay with Donald Trump? It turns out there are quite a few practical answers…keep reading to discover exactly what is keeping this crazy marriage together!
Melania is fighting for Barron’s future
Remember when we mentioned Melania Trump not wanting to move into the White House at first? Initially, the reason she gave for hanging back in New York was that she wanted Barron to finish out his school year without disruption. That may have been partially true, but it turns out she had another motive.
As Forbes reports, Melania Trump delayed moving out of Trump Tower because she wanted to renegotiate her prenup with her husband. This wasn’t really for her own benefit, as she wanted a better prenup so she could better take care of her son Barron in the event of a divorce. For all her other faults, Melania seems like a really devoted mother, and we think she is likely to stay with Donald to help give her son both emotional and financial stability, especially as Barron gets ready to head off to college and make his own fortune.
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They often see eye-to-eye
Perhaps the most important foundation for any long-term relationship is a set of shared values. Sure, couples might have very different personalities, goals, and aspirations, but it’s important that each of them is fighting for the same thing. Interestingly, Donald and Melania Trump seem to have such shared values, and that means they see eye-to-eye more often than they don’t.
In an interview with GQ, Melania Trump laid all of this out very plainly. “I myself am similar to my husband. Do you understand what I mean? So is my dad,” she said. “He is a family man, he has tradition, he was hardworking. So is my husband.” To further drive the point home, the former FLOTUS told interviewers that Donald and her dad “have the same values.”
These similarities may go beyond the surface level. Melania’s dad Viktor Knavs enjoys a lavish lifestyle as Donald Trump does, and both men have frequently taken their enemies to court and dealt with tax scandals. In addition to their shared values, it seems Melania may also be staying with Donald Trump for the simple reason he reminds her of her father on a daily basis!
Two natural loners
Sometimes, the answer as to why an unconventional couple stays together is relatively obvious. For example, Donald and Melania Trump spend so much time apart that many casual onlookers just assume these two can’t stand one another. The reality is far simpler: each of these two is a natural loner, and neither minds giving the other space.
Trump guru Mary Jordan pointed this out to The Guardian, saying “I don’t know any couple that spends as much time apart. They are often in the same building, but nowhere near each other.” Her conclusion was that “She is a loner. He is a loner. They’re perfectly happy to be separated.”
This wasn’t a very surprising conclusion, though, as Melania Trump once said something very similar to The Washington Post. “We like to do what we like to do, and we give ourselves and each other space,” she said. “I allowed him to do, to have his passion and his dreams come true, and he let me do the same.” Sounds like a strong marriage of independent people to us!
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Donald Trump’s scandals have brought them closer
It’s easy to be very cynical about what keeps Donald and Melania Trump together. For example, you might think it’s just mutual benefit: he provides her with a luxurious lifestyle and she helps him realize his political ambitions by standing by her man. However, what is keeping them together these days may be more complex and certainly more surprising.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, FLOTUS expert Kate Andersen Brower pointed out some similarities between Donald Trump and Richard Nixon. She said that Nixon’s resignation actually brought him closer to his wife: “They went to their estate in California and really had this kind of bunker mentality that they were in it together.”
You guessed it: Brower thinks the same thing is happening with Donald and Melania Trump. “When you feel like you’re under siege, it does make some marriages stronger. Melania is one of the few people who hasn’t abandoned Trump.” Considering that Melania gets criticism almost as much as Donald does, it makes sense these two might feel safer staying together in the metaphorical bunker rather than going their separate ways.