Melania Trump was extremely upset with her husband, Donald Trump, and decided to punish him in a quiet but powerful way, according to her former press secretary. In an interview with a political biographer and journalist from The New York Times, it was revealed that Melania was so angry she couldn’t even stand to be near him.
This happened back in 2018, when Donald Trump was planning a high-profile trip to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. He was supposed to go with Melania and some top White House aides. But at the last minute, Melania canceled her trip, which not only surprised people but also embarrassed her husband in front of world leaders and the media.
At the time, the White House claimed that Melania didn’t go due to “scheduling and logistical issues.” However, behind the scenes, there was a deeper reason. It came shortly after reports surfaced that Donald Trump had allegedly paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in “hush money” to keep quiet about a one-night affair they supposedly had in 2006, just a few months after Melania had given birth to their son, Barron.
Although Melania didn’t make any public statements about the scandal, her decision to stay behind was her own way of showing disapproval. Her former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, later explained that Melania’s actions were intentional. She said Melania wanted to express her anger without words, and hoped Trump would feel embarrassed being seen alone at such an important event.
Grisham, who worked closely with Melania as her press secretary from 2017 to 2019 and later as her chief of staff until 2021, shared these insights with journalist Katie Rogers. Rogers included the story in her 2024 book, American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden. In the book, she quoted Grisham saying Melania “was pissed at Trump and wanted him to be a little humiliated that she didn’t go.”
Grisham eventually resigned on January 6, 2021, the day of the Capitol riot. She later said that her decision to quit was because of Donald Trump’s behavior, which she described as extreme.
Melania’s quiet protest in 2018 was just one example of how she sometimes dealt with personal problems and public scandals—by making bold decisions behind the scenes rather than speaking out directly.
