The White House has responded to biographer Michael Wolff’s claims that Donald and Melania Trump are separated, calling them “blatant lies and fabrications.”

Why It Matters

There has long been speculation about the Trumps’ relationship as Melania Trump was notably absent during her husband’s 2024 presidential campaign. The first lady has also made few appearances since the second Trump administration began in January.

While Wolff’s statements have reignited concerns about the president’s marriage, the White House has issued a strong denial of his claims.

What To Know

Wolff, who has written several critical books about the president, told The Daily Beast Podcast on Tuesday: “They clearly do not in any way inhabit a marriage as we define marriage. And I think maybe we can more specifically say they live separate lives.”

“They are separated. The president of the United States and the first lady are separated,” he added.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissed Wolff’s statement, telling The Independent that the Fire and Fury author was “a blithering idiot” who had been “widely discredited due to his blatant lies and fabrications.”

“He is an imbecile of the highest order and his Trump Derangement Syndrome-addled brain has caused him to lead a miserable existence devoid of reality,” Cheung added.

On May 7, The New York Times, citing two people familiar with Melania Trump’s schedule, reported that the first lady had spent fewer than two weeks at the White House since her husband’s inauguration on January 20.

Sources told the outlet that the first lady was “deeply spooked” about the assassination attempts on her husband’s life and what that meant for her family’s safety.

The first lady appears to spend most of her time in Trump Tower in Manhattan and at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

During the president’s first term, Melania Trump waited months before she moved into the White House. She remained in New York with her son, Barron, who was 10 at the time, so he could finish the academic year at a private school in Manhattan.

What People Are Saying

Ahead of the inauguration, Melania Trump told Fox News: “I will be in the White House. And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach. But my first priority is, you know, to be a mom, to be a first lady, to be a wife. And once we are in on January 20, you serve the country.”

Paolo Zampolli, the former modeling agent who introduced Melania Trump to her husband in 1998, told The New York Times: “She loves the White House. And she loves the role of serving as our first lady.”