US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania are celebrating 20 years of marriage. From their first meeting at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998 to their current roles in the White House, their relationship has grown a lot. To celebrate their anniversary, Trump shared a throwback photo from their wedding day on Instagram, writing, “Happy 20th Anniversary Melania!”
Happy 20th Anniversary to Melania! pic.twitter.com/VIcXSQb4QO
-Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 22 January 2025
In a separate post on the official POTUS account, Trump posted a photo of the couple and paid tribute to Melania, writing, “Celebrating 20 years with my beautiful wife and our incredible First Lady, Melania. You are an extraordinary wife. And one amazing mom. Happy anniversary, @FLOTUS.”
Celebrating 20 years with my beautiful wife and our incredible First Lady, Melania. You are an extraordinary wife and a wonderful mother.
Happy anniversary, @FLOTUS, pic.twitter.com/BPTfeGpA7x
– President Donald J. TRUMP (@POTUS) 22 January 2025
Their relationship began when Trump, separated from his second wife, actress Marla Maples, met Slovenian-born model Melania. But Melania was not immediately impressed. In a 2016 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she recalled how she initially refused to give Trump her number, instead waiting for him to give her his. “I wanted to see what kind of number he would give me,” she explained.
At the time, Trump was planning a divorce from Maples, which was finalized in 1999. After this period of turmoil, Trump described Melania as “a wonderful woman” and soon began a public relationship with her.
By 2004, the couple were at the Met Gala, where Trump surprised Melania with a proposal. “We’re very happy together,” Melania told The New York Post after the engagement. They married in January 2005 in Palm Beach, Florida.
The couple soon desired to start a family. In a 2006 interview, Trump talked about his excitement about becoming a father again. “I’m not going to make diapers. She would be an incredible mother,” Trump said at the time. Their son, Baron William Trump, was born later that year.
Trump’s successful run for president in 2016 led to Melania taking on the role of First Lady. Praising her as an “amazing mother” at the time, Trump said he believed she would also make an incredible first lady. Melania and Barron moved into the White House in 2017, though they returned to their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach ahead of Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration.
With Trump returning to the Oval Office for a second consecutive term, Melania has resumed her role as First Lady.
