The Best And Worst Days Of Melania Trump's Life

As the tumultuous years of Donald Trump's presidency have worn on, one person has continuously intrigued the public, both for good reasons and bad: First Lady Melania Trump. The third wife of the 45th president and the mother of Trump's youngest son, Barron, Melania's unconventional time in the White House has been marked by glamorous clothes, ill-timed eye rolls, and a handful of out-of-touch moments.

Still, the first lady has had to navigate some very difficult challenges during her husband's presidency — she had former friends spill the details about her personal life in tell-all books, she was diagnosed with COVID-19, and every time her husband said or did something controversial, she found herself trying to distance herself from his rhetoric as much as possible.

It's no secret that Melania didn't love the idea of becoming first lady — after all, she waited almost six months after her husband took office to move to the White House — so it comes as no surprise that her years in Washington, D.C. have been marked by both special experiences and downright awful moments. So brace yourself because these are the best and worst days of Melania Trump's life.

Donald Trump is known for saying some off-the-wall comments. Whether caught in private moments (think the Access Hollywood tape) or heard insulting his political opponents at rallies, his brazen tactics are not hidden. As noted by The Guardian, things were not great for Melania Trump the day that rumors about her husband's comments about her at a private 2019 fundraising event began to swirl. 

So what exactly happened? Do you remember when Louisiana congressman Steve Scalise got shot? Donald was thinking about it and reportedly said the following: "[Scalise's wife] cried her eyes out when I met her at the hospital that fateful day ... I mean not many wives would react that way to tragedy, I know mine wouldn't." 

Hopefully for Melania's sake, the line was said as a joke. But honestly with The Donald, it's hard to tell what is humorous and what is rooted in reality. Did the line have something to do with the very obvious tension between the couple? Was it retaliation for Melania's hand swats or scowls at her husband? No one will truly ever know, but this could not have been a good day for her.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its ravaging of the world has been some of the worst news to come out of 2020, and, just as the virus has touched millions of people in the United States, it impacted the first family. One of the worst days of Melania Trump's life had to have been the day she tested positive for COVID-19. To make matters worse, her son, Barron Trump, tested positive as well shortly after. 

"I was very fortunate as my diagnosis came with minimal symptoms, though they hit me all at once and it seemed to be a roller coaster of symptoms in the days after," she wrote in a piece published on the White House's website. "Recovering from an illness gives you a lot of time to reflect. When my husband was taken to Walter Reed as a precaution, I spent much of my time reflecting on my family. I also thought about the hundreds of thousands of people across our country who have been impacted by this illness that infects people with no discrimination." 

Here's to hoping that the first lady, her son, and everyone impacted by the virus is on the path to complete recovery.

The day that Donald Trump was sworn into office, the internet was gifted with so many awkward Melania Trump moments. When the Trumps were welcomed to the White House by Barack and Michelle Obama, not only did The Donald leave his wife in the car and saunter up the White House steps on his own, but she was left to maneuver a gift-giving exchange with Michelle that was so awkward. Barack Obama "saved the day," as Michelle told Ellen DeGeneres, by taking the gift that she was so uncomfortably standing with. Not a great way to kick things off. 

Of course, there was the moment when Donald turned to look at Melania during the swearing-in ceremony, in which she smiled at him, only to immediately frown as he turned away (the video spread like wildfire on Twitter). As noted by Harper's Bazaar, the hashtag #FreeMelania started trending, and it seemed like people were genuinely worried about her. Then, of course, the dance between the newly minted first couple was painful to watch because of their body language, which seemed "very, very formal."

It comes as no surprise that high-profile people have high-profile enemies, but the day that Stephanie Winston Wolkoff — a former White House adviser and close friend of Melania Trump's — released her book about the first lady, it couldn't have been a good day for Melania. As reported by The Washington Post, the book, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, had some serious dirt about her and called her character into question. 

Winston Wolkoff characterized working for the Trumps as "the worst mistake of my life," and she berated the first lady for not jumping to her defense when questions about inaugural spending came to light. Winston Wolkoff's contract was shortly dissolved thereafter, and she clearly wanted to share her side of the story (even at Melania's expense). 

"When it really counted, Melania wasn't there for me," Winston Wolkoff wrote in her book. "She wasn't really my friend. In fact, I wish I had never met her." The two had met in New York back in 2003, but we can safely imagine that there is only bad blood between them now.

Surprises can either be great or awful, and when a secret recording of Melania Trump complaining about some of her duties was leaked, the surprise must've taken her for a loop. As noted by CNN, she was "secretly recorded in the summer of 2018 expressing her frustration at being criticized for her husband's policy of separating families ... while at the same time needing to perform traditional first lady duties, such as preparing for Christmas." 

Who recorded the now-infamous comments? None other than former friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who wrote the book Melania and Me about the first lady and their relationship (and all the tea that went with it). 

"They say I'm complicit. I'm the same like him, I support him. I don't say enough I don't do enough where I am," Melania was recorded saying, which was played to the public for the first time on Anderson Cooper 360. "I'm working ... my a** off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f*** about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?" Yeah... that couldn't have been a good day for the first lady.

Donald Trump's presidency has been marked by a lot of controversial moments, and the day that he made his dramatic return to the White House after being hospitalized with COVID-19 probably was not great for Melania Trump. As noted by The Washington Post, Donald took off his mask while standing on the White House balcony in a weird display of strength, and while he was doing so, Melania was taking the steps to distance herself from his rhetoric. 

"The office of first lady Melania Trump, who was also sick with the coronavirus, released an incredibly detailed statement on the precautions it had taken since March to protect the members of the staff," The Post reported. The D.C. newspaper assessed that the release of the statement was in itself a statement, that the first lady was taking the steps to assuage outcry over her husband's behavior. 

"It's extraordinary in history, and it's a direct contradiction to the way in which he is behaving," Myra Gutin, a professor at Rider University, told The Post. So while recovering herself, Melania had to deal with her husband's ill-timed behavior. Not great for her at all.

One of the worst days of Melania Trump's time as first lady was when she chose to wear the jacket, which went down as one of the most inappropriate outfits she's ever worn. As noted by CNN, she was traveling to Texas in June of 2018 to visit people impacted by her husband's separation policy. The army green jacket had the words "I really don't care. Do U?" written on the back — cue the media outcry. She was criticized for the choice, and her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham spoke out. 

"It's a jacket," she told media outlets. "There was no hidden message." But Melania's husband couldn't let the situation slide, and Donald Trump breathed his own messaging about the jacket to life. He tweeted that the message on the jacket was referring to "the fake news media." He wrote, "Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!" 

So who knows what the true meaning behind the jacket was. But all the criticisms likely made for a bad day for the first lady.