Why Melania's Life Was Never The Same After Marrying Donald Trump

When Donald Trump became the Republican frontrunner for the presidential nomination in 2016, not a ton was known about his supermodel-turned-socialite wife, Melania Trump. Photographed at New York's most glamorous events with her signature smize, Melania was consistently by her husband's side throughout the campaign, and as we all know, eventually became First Lady (via GQ).

Based on the press coverage and the consistent media attention, it seemed as though Melania's life was turned upside-down when her husband assumed office, and rightly so; she was used to the Manhattan life, replete with luxury accomodations and five-star restaurants. Melania was a fashion aficionado, a mom to her son, Barron Trump, and seemed to be living life in the fast lane.

But when she became First Lady, Melania's life drastically changed, as most of us observed. But what a lot of people don't know is that Melania's life had been in constant flux since marrying Donald; she went from a model to one of New York's most famous stars, from Trump Tower to the White House. So buckle in, because here are all the reasons why Melania's life was never the same after marrying Donald Trump.

Everyone knows that the First Family is protected by the Secret Service, but after Donald Trump took office, Melania Trump had to adjust to intense protection. As noted by The Washington Post, she and Donald had a bodyguard before their time in the White House, but the scale of protection drastically escalated; Secret Service members were always by the door, and Melania was worried at the amount of hate her husband had to contend with. "At the core, I think she's a private person who's spent a lot of time adjusting to public life," an insider revealed about the drastic change. 

Because of her marriage to Donald and his status as a president, Melania will continue to have protection even after Donald leaves office. As noted by ABC News, the Secret Service's Miami field office has started to look at "physical reinforcements" at Mar-a-Lago. Police also said that the Secret Service will scale back the "law enforcement footprint around Trump Tower in Manhattan," as it will not serve as the Trumps' primary residence. Still, Melania's life will never be the same.

We can't even imagine what kind of insane adjustments have to be made in one's life before becoming First Lady. The role, the campaign, and everything surrounding a presidency seems to just upend everything in life, and that was something that Melania Trump was extremely aware of when Donald Trump won the election in 2016. 

As noted by The Washington Post, Melania was not thrilled about the changes that were to take place in her life, as it would never be the same. According to an inside source, "She said, 'Stop calling me first lady,'" after the election took place. Yikes. 

So why was Melania so against the role and the responsibilities that would come with it? Apparently, Melania hasn't been the only First Lady to find the overnight adjustment to White House life difficult. She's also reportedly a "careful planner," and wanted to take her time to do things the way she wanted to. "No matter how intense the pressure during the campaign, she refused to be hurried," The Washington Post reported. We can respect it.

Melania Trump's life in New York, pre-Donald Trump's political career, seemed glamourous. Her residence was the gorgeous penthouse in Trump Tower, she dined at Manhattan's finest restaurants, and we're sure there was shopping involved in her daily life. But as noted by The Guardian, Melania's life was never the same after Donald won the White House. 

Most notably, Trump Tower became ground zero for protests, which meant that security was seriously beefed up. There was even a no-fly zone put in place over the building. To that end, gone were the days of Melania being able to step out onto Fifth Avenue; she was trapped inside by supporters, protestors, law enforcement, and the press. 

Despite the turmoil on her doorstep, Melania was determined to stay in New York so her son could finish school, but according to The Washington Post, remaining in Manhattan had a big price tag. Her presence created a huge problem for security and law enforcement, and the NYPD said it cost at least $125,000 a day to protect her. Yikes, not a change we would gladly welcome in our lives.

Drastic changes are enough to make anyone rethink their relationship with their partner, and that was the case for Melania Trump. According to The Washington Post, Melania renegotiated her prenuptial agreement with Donald Trump during the presidential campaign, and did so under the guise of "taking care of Barron." The newspaper also noted that Donald has spoken highly about prenups, and had called rich men who don't have one "losers." 

Melania seemed to clue in to the fact that not only has she been Donald's longest lasting marriage, but "a lot had changed since she signed her prenup," and she felt that she's played an important role in his success. Melania made sure to negotiate a "more generous financial deal for her and Barron," and used the timing of the campaign and the move to D.C. as leverage, an element of power and control that her husband even wrote about in The Art of the Deal. "Leverage is having something the other guy wants. Or better yet, needs. Or best of all, simply can't do without," Donald shared. Looks like she took a lesson from those pages.

Did you know that Donald Trump was once a registered Democrat? Yep. So now that you know that, it might not come as a huge shock to know that other famous Democratic politicians once ran in the same circle as the Trumps. And, hold onto your socks: Hillary and Bill Clinton attended Donald and Melania Trump's wedding. We'll give you a minute to let that all sink in. 

As noted by PolitiFact, Hillary attended the ceremony and Bill showed up at the reception. Additionally, U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo said in 2015 that "Mr. Trump has a close friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton. They were at his last wedding. He has contributed to the Clintons' foundation. He has contributed to Mrs. Clinton's Senate campaigns. All of this is very suspicious." We agree. 

Of course, since The Donald took office, his and Melania's life was never the same; When it comes to rubbing shoulders with politicians, and it's safe to assume that the Clintons aren't fans of the Trumps anymore.

Melania Trump has undergone a stunning transformation. According to the BBC, Melania was once a small town girl from Slovenia, the daughter of a car salesman and a designer. She traded in that life for one of modeling and glamour, and made her way to the United States. After that, her life was never the same.

But due in part to her association with her husband and the controversial nature of some of his policies, Melania's home country made their feelings about the native Slovenian known. As noted by the BBC, a statue of Melania in Slovenia was set on fire in July 2020. Apparently the statue really wasn't that cute to begin with, however, as some people compared it to The Smurfs. Still, the news wasn't great for the First Lady. 

The statue was made by American artist Brad Downey, and was set on fire on July 4, the United States' Independence Day. The statue was promptly removed, but the damage was already done.

It's easy to fall out of touch with friends when you move to another state or leave a job, but Melania Trump suffered losses in her friendship circles in part due to her marriage to Donald Trump. According to The New York Times, Melania's former close friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, released a book entitled Melania and Me, a tell-all about the First Lady and the friendship the two women once shared. After that, Melania's life was never the same.

Wolkoff and Melania met in 2003 and became quite close, and Wolkoff even became an adviser in the White House. But the friendship between the two women changed in February 2018, when Wolkoff resigned after damaging reports about her involvement with the inauguration came to light. "Being with her was like having the sister I never had before — but a really confident, perfectly coiffed, ultimate older sister," Wolkoff wrote in her book. But the tone shifted drastically. "Her selfishness is so deep, it enables her to keep her distance from the rest of the world." Yikes.