Former President Donald Trump shared a heartfelt Valentine’s Day message to his wife, Melania, thanking her for standing by his side throughout the legal challenges and political battles.
“Dear Melania, I LOVE YOU!” read the message, which was part of a fundraising email, sent out by President Trump’s Save America PAC. “Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side.”
“You’ve always supported me through everything. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness, and warmth,” it continued. “You will always mean the world to me, Melania!”
President Trump met his third wife in 1998 while in the process of ending his second marriage. They became engaged in 2004 and were married in 2005. The couple welcomed their only child, Barron, in 2006.
The former first lady has kept a low profile since her family left the White House in early 2021. She stood by her husband’s side when he announced another presidential run, but hasn’t been at many of his campaign trail stops and has not attended his multiple court appearances in the past year.
Mrs. Trump was also absent from the Trump family Christmas photos, in order to be at her ailing mother’s side in the hospital. Her mother, Amalija Knavs, died in January at the age of 78.
Melania’s Public Appearances
In a rare appearance in December, Mrs. Trump gave a speech at a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. National Archives, recounting her difficult path to U.S. citizenship.“It is my privilege to share this great nation, America, with you,” Mrs. Trump said at the National Archives’ rotunda, which famously hosts the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
“You are American,” the Slovenia-born former first lady told the new citizens. “Be a beacon of inspiration for your children and those who follow in your footsteps. May your journey continue to be filled with endless possibilities. And may your contributions enrich the fabric of this great nation.”
Both of the former first lady’s parents emigrated to the United States from Slovenia and became U.S. citizens at a federal court in New York City in 2018, during Trump’s presidency.
Mrs. Trump also appeared in November alongside other former first ladies—including Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush—during the funeral of former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
In September 2023, President Trump said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” that his supporters could expect to see Mrs. Trump joining a campaign event “pretty soon” when “it’s appropriate,” although he said he would prefer to keep her out of the fray of “nasty” politics.
“She’s a private person, a great person, a very confident person and she loves our country very much,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker. “And honestly, I like to keep her away from it. It’s so nasty and so mean.”
Besides the civil and criminal cases filed against him, another legal issue the former president is facing is the question of whether he is eligible to hold public office again.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that he isn’t eligible based on an untested interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause,” but that ruling is on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court issues its opinion. The U.S. Supreme Court has already heard oral arguments in the case.
President Trump maintains that all of the court battles he is fighting are attempts to keep him from reclaiming the White House.
“I consider it to be more election interference by the Democrats—that’s what they’re doing,” he told reporters after the Supreme Court hearing. “The good news is we’re leading in virtually every poll.”
