Outgoing President Donald Trump may have lost his presidency, but his wife of 15 years, Melania, reportedly has no immediate plans to leave her husband - despite rumours alleging that the First Lady is finished with the marriage.
Earlier this month, Democratic rival Joe Biden was declared the winner of the landmark election after he surpassed the 270 electoral votes required to clinch the presidency. Yet lame-duck President Trump has repeatedly refused to concede defeat or commit to a peaceful transfer of power, arguing that voter fraud had rigged the election.
With Biden officially set to oust Trump from the White House on January 20, rumours have alleged that former model Melania is preparing to divorce the business magnate, who she married in 2005 after six years of dating.
Last week, former White House aide Omorosa Manigault Newman claimed the First Lady is "counting the minutes" until she is able to file for divorce from Trump, who skyrocketed to global prominence as the host of the reality television series, The Apprentice.
Melania, 50, also raised eyebrows last week when she was captured linking arms with a serviceman instead of her husband during a trip for a Veterans' Day memorial service.
Yet when questioned by the Washington Post about the possibility of an impending divorce, Stephanie Grisham, Melania's official spokeswoman, dismissed the claims as "pathetic".
Now, two close friends of the First Lady have reportedly suggested that Melania intends to remain with Trump for the immediate future, despite his election loss.
Other reports citing friends of the couple claim the Trumps' marriage has improved, and the two enjoy the limited time they spend together.
The President's disgraced ex-fixer, Michaael Cohen - who was jailed for tax fraud and campaign finance violations - also claimed the marriage will last.
"I don't think Melania [will] leave Donald. She's very willingly complicit in his schemes and holds his beliefs as her own. Those two deserve each other," he stated, as reported by local media.
Rumours of the Trumps' faltering marriage spiralled in January 2018 after allegations of a 2006 affair between the business tycoon and porn star Stormy Daniels resurfaced, despite Trump denying the one-night-stand ever happened. Melania subsequently made global headlines after she travelled to Trump's State of the Union speech separately from her husband.
Since then, Melania's behaviour towards her husband has frequently been scrutinised. On several occasions, she has been captured refusing to hold her husband's hand or swatting away his advances.
The couple have one son, Barron, who was born in 2006. Melania is also step-mother to Trump's four other children from his previous marriages - Donald Jr, 42, Ivanka, 39, Eric, 36, and Tiffany, 27.
