What you need to know
First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump may keep separate schedules, but their shared interests have bonded the couple, sources tell PEOPLE.
Melania, 55, and her husband, 79, share a love of interior design, and Donald considers himself a talented designer with a knack for transforming spaces more than a professional, according to political and social sources.
“Donald has a unique vision for his home and club, and over the years has personally designed and selected much of the furniture and finishes at Mar-a-Lago and the golf club,” a source tells PEOPLE. “He and Melania have that in common. They both love interior design.”
Sources say the two don’t spend much time together other than appearing together in public.
“There’s been very little interaction between them, which is exactly what you would expect,” the source said. “Then they go back to their jobs.”
In response to the source’s claims, White House Press Secretary Davis Engle told PEOPLE, “President Trump and the entire administration are working 24/7 on behalf of the American people to deliver on the promise of Making America Great Again. The Trump family is the most successful family in history.”
Joe Radle/Getty
A month into President Donald’s second term, a social source told PEOPLE that the president and first lady live separately, and that both “have quarters in the White House,” but that first lady Melania “leads her own life and joins the president when needed.”
The source said at the time that Melania “is often alone” when in Palm Beach, but “sometimes” she joins her husband for dinner.
Sources tell PEOPLE that the couple kissed at midnight on New Year’s Eve at a party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida in 2026.
“First Lady Melania was happy and enjoying the evening, while the president seemed bored and tired, but was kind to his guests and wished them well,” a source told PEOPLE.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty
Donald is busy designing the new White House ballroom, a $400 million, 90,000 square foot project. According to local reports, the president likes to explore design options himself, and even spent time on vacation visiting Ark Stone & Tile, a marble retailer in Lake Worth Beach, Fla., near Mar-a-Lago.
At a Hanukkah reception at the White House in December 2025, President Trump revealed that a federal judge had cleared the project to move forward with construction, thanking officials who paved the way and calling the ruling an act of “courage.”
“We’re donating a $400 million ballroom,” Trump said at the event, according to footage shared by C-SPAN. “Myself and our donors are providing them free of charge.”
Trump had previously been sued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group argued that construction on the ballroom began before plans were submitted to the required federal review agencies and without the normally required approval from Congress.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied the group’s request to halt construction, but said he would hold a hearing in January on the group’s request for a preliminary injunction. He also warned the Trump administration against making underground construction decisions that could lock in the ballroom’s design.
Never miss a news. Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to human interest stories.
The president and first lady have appeared together numerous times over the past few months, including when they joined him to ceremonially sign an executive order. Later that month, she and the president appeared together again for a Thanksgiving turkey pardon.
Melania and Donald also attended the annual Congressional Ball in Washington, D.C., together in December, where the president admitted he was unaware of the first lady’s recent work in the White House.
After Melania briefly spoke about “new legislative initiatives” at the event, Donald joked, “Well, I’ve never heard of that before,” adding, “I don’t know what she’s going to do, but I know it’s going to be great for the kids.”
