Kristi Noem's Shady Luxury Jet Plan Inadvertently Put Melania Trump's Marriage Under The Microscope

Kristi Noem's penchant for opulent air travel keeps coming back to haunt her. Noem's initial request for a plane with a queen-size bed amplified the rumors of an affair with Corey Lewandowski. The situation worsened when photos of the plane's lavish apartment-like interior were displayed at Noem's congressional hearing. Her husband, Bryon Noem, had an uncomfortable front-row seat to hints about the affair as he listened to a tale about Lewandowski's odd concerns over one of Noem's blankets. Now, it looks like the drama surrounding this plane could also extend to Melania Trump and Donald Trump.

According to Axios, Noem thought it was a strategic choice to lend her plane to Melania, since it gave her an opportunity to justify having the costly aircraft. Unfortunately, Noem has already learned the hard way that implicating Donald in her exorbitant TV ads caused him to fire her as DHS secretary. This plane usage might strain her relationship with the Trumps even further, since it highlights their lack of time together.

While Melania has reportedly been flying to New York, Donald seems to prefer living in Florida at Mar-a-Lago. "The first lady does not live with the president of the United States. Their relationship is remote at best, and I think we can probably say, well, certainly of a different nature than any, president and first lady has ever had," author Michael Wolff asserted in a February episode of The Daily Beast's podcast.

Long before Kristi Noem offered Melania Trump a ride on her overpriced plane, the first lady was already in the habit of leaving Washington, D.C. whenever possible. The New York Times reported that Melania had been at the White House less than 13% between January and early May 2025.

Even when they are together in the same home, the Trumps are likely not spending much time together. "[Donald and Melania] both live at Mar-a-Lago and have quarters in the White House," an insider informed People in February 2025. "She leads her own life and joins him when appropriate in either place." However, the Trumps established this setup during Donald's first term, so it makes sense that they'd snap back into a similar routine when he was re-elected.

Unfortunately, some of the changes in Donald's second term may have caused further friction in their marriage. There are a number of reasons  Melania and Donald choose to stay together, and apparently, one source of common ground is interior design. However, Donald's White House makeover doesn't seem to be a collaborative project. While Donald hinted that the noise of the ballroom construction annoyed Melania, other reports indicate she's peeved about the project in general. Although she didn't disclose any specific points of contention, the East Wing is a first lady-centric space, so it's possible Melania wasn't happy about Donald demoing a part of the White House that was for her own use.