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Melania Trump revealed one demand she gave to Donald when they first met

Home> News> Politics

Published 18:21 30 Jul 2025 GMT+1

Melania Trump revealed one demand she gave to Donald when they first met

The US President and First Lady first came face-to-face in 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

It's long been wondered by both fans and critics who really wears the trousers between Donald and Melania Trump.

I mean, the former is the President of the United States and one of the world's most powerful people, and the other is a woman. So, it's a tough call to make when deciding whose in charge behind the scenes.

That said, however, an excerpt from an interview 55-year-old Melania gave to Harper's Bazaar back in 2016 seems to strongly hint at an answer, with the First Lady claiming she gave her future-husband a rather severe demand when they first started dating.

For those in need of a reminder of the Republican couple's love story, the Trumps first came face-to-face in 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by modelling agent Paolo Zampolli.

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The couple first met in 1997 (Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty Images)
The couple first met in 1997 (Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Donald was recently divorced from his second wife at the time, whilst Melania was an aspiring model who'd moved from Slovenia to the States in search of success.

Seven years later, the pair finally tied the knot at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea church in Palm Beach, Florida, before a reception was hosted at the politician's Mar-a-Lago estate. Melania was 34 at the time, whilst Donald was 58.

As we say, however, according to the interview Melania gave nine years ago, she was less than impressed by Donald during their earliest days of rubbing shoulders at high profile events.

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Why? Because he'd had the nerve to ask for her digits.

"He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn’t give it to him," she told the publication.

She gave Trump a savage demand prior to their first date (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
She gave Trump a savage demand prior to their first date (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

The mother-of-one - who shares 19-year-old son Barron with the current president - instead made the snap decision to demand something herself of the prolific businessman.

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"'I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you," she recalled her conversation with Donald.

According to Melania, the move wasn't just to assert her dominance over the father-of-six - who shares five older children with his two previous ex wives, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples - but to suss what type of number he'd give her.

"I wanted to see if it was a business number. What if it’s business?" she went on to laugh.

Donald is said to have responded to her off-the-cuff demand by offering the model all of his possible contact numbers - including one for his office, his Mar-a-Lago residence, and his home number for New York.

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The couple have now been married for 20 years (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
The couple have now been married for 20 years (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

According to Melania, she was struck by the 'energy' of the future politician whilst making his admission, and agreed to a date.

They enjoyed their first meal together at Moomba, a celebrity-frequented club venue in New York.

"It was a great place, wasn't it?" Melania recalled during her 2016 interview. "I remember that night like it was two months ago."

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And the rest, as they say, is history.

Featured Image Credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Topics: Melania Trump, Donald Trump, Politics, US News

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

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@rhiannaBjourno

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