Major Controversies Surrounding Melania Trump: A Detailed Timeline

Public opinion and media debates around Melania Trump—discover key moments of controversy.

Melania Trump, a Slovenian-American former model, has served as First Lady of the United States during two non-consecutive terms of her husband, Donald Trump's presidency (2017-2021 and since 2025). She is the first naturalized citizen to hold the role, the second foreign-born first lady after Louisa Adams, the second Roman Catholic first lady after Jacqueline Kennedy, and the second first lady to serve two nonconsecutive terms after Frances Cleveland. Her background as a model and immigrant sets her apart from previous First Ladies.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2005: Access Hollywood Tape Recorded

In 2005, the Access Hollywood tape, featuring audio of Donald Trump making lewd remarks about women, was recorded. It was leaked a month before the 2016 election. The campaign's primary concern was Melania's reaction.

July 2006: Extramarital affair Allegations

In July 2006, Donald Trump allegedly had an affair with pornographic actress Stormy Daniels after his marriage to Melania and the birth of their son.

2008: Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention

In 2008, Michelle Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention. A paragraph of Melania Trump's speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention was plagiarized from this speech.

July 2016: Publication of Nude Images

In July 2016, more nude images of Melania Trump were published on the front page of the New York Post in a story titled "The Ogle Office". While the images did not have a major effect on the campaign as Melania was seen as the victim, she was humiliated and spent the following two months away from the public.

July 18, 2016: Speech at Republican National Convention

On July 18, 2016, Melania Trump delivered a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention. A controversy arose when a paragraph was found to be plagiarized from Michelle Obama's 2008 speech. Melania initially stated she wrote the speech herself "with as little help as possible." Staff writer Meredith McIver later took responsibility.

2016: Lawsuit Against Daily Mail

In 2016, Melania sued the Daily Mail for libel after it alleged that she had worked for an escort agency. The suit was initially for lost career opportunities, but this was changed to emotional distress when she received questions about career opportunities as first lady.

January 2018: Stormy Daniels Scandal

In January 2018, news broke alleging Donald Trump had an extramarital affair with Stormy Daniels in 2006, leading to infrequent public appearances by Melania and cancellation of events, including riding separately to the 2018 State of the Union Address.

August 9, 2018: Parents Granted American Citizenship

On August 9, 2018, Melania's parents were granted American citizenship, which revitalized accusations of hypocrisy against the Trumps regarding immigration policies.

October 2018: Solo Tour of Africa

In October 2018, Melania Trump embarked on a solo tour of Africa, visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt, focusing on children's welfare and promoting USAID relief work but faced criticism for fashion choices.

2018: Criticism of Zero Tolerance Policy

In 2018, Melania Trump publicly criticized her husband's "zero tolerance" policy at the Mexico-United States border, advocating for immigration reform and family unity.

October 2019: Justice Department Files Civil Suit

In October 2019, The Justice Department filed a civil suit against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, alleging breach of a nondisclosure agreement.

2019: Hypocrisy Criticism for Cyberbullying

In 2019, Melania Trump's Be Best campaign faced criticism for perceived hypocrisy, given her husband's online attacks, particularly after he criticized Greta Thunberg.

October 1, 2020: Release of Audiotapes by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff

On October 1, 2020, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff released audiotapes featuring Melania making profane statements about her role as first lady and admitting she wore her "I really don't care, do u" jacket to irritate liberals. These tapes were released alongside the book "Melania and Me".

Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady

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December 2020: Siena College Research Institute study ranking

In December 2020, the Siena College Research Institute released a study ranking Melania Trump as the worst of 40 assessed American first ladies. Melania Trump also received the lowest assessments in all of the metrics that were weighed. The study also found that historians and scholars most-believed Melania Trump "could have done more" while first lady. The study also concluded that Melania Trump's "Be Best" initiative was the least effective among the ten most-recent first ladies.

2020: Endorsement of False Election Claims

In 2020, despite Donald Trump's election loss, Melania Trump endorsed his false statement that he was the legitimate election winner and focused on compiling photo albums of White House decorations.

2020: Leaked Tapes Defending Border Policies

In 2020, leaked tapes revealed Melania Trump defending some of the practices regarding asylum seekers and children at the border, while also questioning the validity of asylum claims.

February 2021: Civil Suit Dropped

In February 2021, under the Biden administration, the civil suit against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was dropped.

September 2022: Melania Claims Tapes Were Edited

In September 2022, Melania claimed in an interview with Breitbart News that the audiotapes released by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff had been strategically edited.

2024: Michael Cohen's Testimony

In 2024, during The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump trial, Michael Cohen testified that Donald Trump credited Melania with suggesting the campaign's response strategy to the Access Hollywood tape should be to characterize the conversation as "locker room talk".

May 2025: Reported Cryptocurrency Trading

In May 2025, the Financial Times reported that wallets purchased millions worth of $Melania coin before Melania announced the launch and then sold them off for a significant profit.

August 2025: Threat to sue Hunter Biden for defamation

In August 2025, Melania Trump threatened to sue Hunter Biden for one billion dollars after Biden claimed that Melania had been introduced to Donald by Jeffrey Epstein. Biden publicly refused to retract his comments.

2025: Legal threats and recall of 'The Rise and Fall of the House of York'

In 2025, following the publication of the book, "The Rise and Fall of the House of York" written by Andrew Lownie, which alleged that Melania Trump had been introduced to Donald Trump by Jeffrey Epstein, Melania Trump strongly objected to the claim and began making legal threats. In October 2025, the book's publisher HarperCollins UK recalled the book and apologized to Melania Trump calling the claim unverified.