Melania Trump, 56, Insists She Didn't Marry The Don for Money Despite Huge Age Gap — As First Lady Rages 'People Don't Know Me'
Melania Trump wants everyone to know she married for love, not cash.
June 29 2026, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Melania Trump once declared it was love that drew her into the arms of her husband, Donald, and not money, as many have suggested, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The First Lady, who is 24 years younger than the Don, has been fighting accusations she's only in it for the cash ever since tying the knot back in 2005.
Melania Trump Hits Back at 'Gold Digger' Claims
In an interview years before the couple said their "I dos," Melania was confronted about the motivation behind the relationship during a 1999 interview with ABC News.
During the now memorable chat, journalist Don Dahler asked for Melania's response to all the rumors she's a "gold digger."
"People don't know me," she said at the time. "People who talk like this don't know me."
Dahler then pointed out the huge gap, "Well, it's not every day you see a 26-year-old supermodel on the arm of a 53-year-old car mechanic.
'People don't know me,' Melania Trump raged when asked about her marriage in a resurfaced interview.
Melania then responded, "You know what? You cannot sleep, or hug, or have a conversation with beautiful things, with a beautiful apartment, a beautiful plane, beautiful cars, or beautiful houses. You can't do that."
"You could feel very empty," Melania pointed out. "And if somebody said, 'You're with the man because he's rich and famous,' they don't know me."
The 56-year-old's marriage to the controversial politician has been a focus point of critics for quite some time, with some claiming Melania is unhappy in the relationship.
While Melania has done her best to keep her marriage under wraps, the same can't be said for her partner, who has had no problem pulling back the veil.
Trump Pulls Back Veil on Marriage With Awkward Comments
The president has made quips about his marriage throughout the years.
Earlier this year, Donald made an awkward quip about his marriage at the welcome ceremony for King Charles during the British monarch's visit to the U.S.
At one point during his speech, the former reality star brought up his parents, Fred and Mary Anne, comparing their lengthy marriage to his own with Melania.
"She came to America at 19 and met my incredible father," he explained. "We loved him so much. We all loved him. And we loved her. They were married for 63 years."
Trump then turned to Melania and said, "And excuse me, if you don't mind, that's a record we won't be able to match, darling. I'm sorry, it’s just not going to work out that way."
Melania managed to force out a smile following her husband's baffling comments.
'She Absolutely Hates Him'
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Many critics have suggested Melania Trump isn't a fan of her husband.
Just one day later, Melania then appeared to refuse to hold her husband's hand during a state dinner with the King and Queen Camilla.
At one point, Melania stood next to the president for a photo op, keeping her hand away from his. After a few seconds, the Commander-in-Chief reached for his wife's hand once again, but Melania shifted her hand away for a bit before interlocking fingers with him.
"She absolutely hates him. Utterly humiliating for Donald," one person suggested on social media at the time, and another asked, "Do they actually love each other?"
Previously, vocal anti-Trump author Michel Wolff speculated the couple's marriage is crumbling, as he claimed to 60 Minutes Australia, "At one point I asked someone who's very close to them, and I said, 'so what's going on?' And this person looked at me like I was a real dunce and then said, '(Melania) hates his f---ing guts'."
