Donald Trump’s ‘Secret Nickname’ for Wife Melania Draws on the Iconic Legacy of a Former First Lady

Leaked tapes about grabbing p*ssies, cheating scandals with an adult film star, and ensuing lawsuits— Donald Trump and Melania Trump’s marriage has weathered it all. The 78-year-old politician, who is all set to become the 47th president come January, has always spoken highly of his wife. In 2019, during a Fox & Friends interview, Donald discussed a possible affectionate moniker for Melania that drew on the legacy of a former first lady.

He remarked, “There was Jackie O, and that’s good. But we have our own Jackie O today. It’s called Melania. Melania. We will call it Melania T. Okay?” He further praised, “By the way, people love her. People love her. She gets no credit from the media but she gets credit from the people.” The President-elect likened his Slovenian-American wife to former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , lovingly known as ‘Jackie O’ who was married to the 35th president of America, John F. Kennedy.

Interestingly, Melania herself is also known to embody Jackie. On Inauguration Day, during Donald’s first term, Melania brought back Jackie’s powder-blue suede look. In an interview leading up to Donald assuming office in 2017, Melania also revealed that her approach to the role of first lady would be similar to how Jackie helped her husband in his public duties.

Donald has always sung praises of his wife. In a 2005 interview with Larry King, shortly after their high-profile wedding, the Republican leader gushed, “We were together five years. We literally have never had an argument or…forget about the word ‘fight.’ …We just are very compatible. We get along,” as reported by Irish Star. When Donald first met Melania , he had already been married and divorced twice– first with Ivana Trump, with whom he had three children, and second with Marla Maples, with whom he had a daughter. Interestingly, Donald although single, was on a date with another woman when he ran into Melania at a Fashion Week party in 1998. The said venue was a nightclub; the event one hosted by Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent.

In a 2016 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Melania admitted to the same. “He wanted my number, but he was on a date, so of course I didn’t give it to him. I said, ‘I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.'” To her surprise, Donald gave her all his contacts, including “the office, Mar-a-Lago, home in New York, everything.”

Charmed, and having waited a few days, Melania finally rang him and was immediately ‘struck by his energy.’ In 2004, the businessman-turned-politician popped the big question and Melania’s answer was a resounding yes. The subsequent year, in 2005, they tied the knot and welcomed their only son Barron Trump .