A 26-year-old interview featuring Melania Trump has resurfaced on the internet, offering a rare glimpse into the future first lady’s thoughts about love, wealth, and her relationship with Donald Trump.
The 1999 ABC News conversation reveals a young woman determined to defend her romantic choices against critics who questioned her intentions. The interview took place shortly after the couple made their relationship public, when Melania was 29 and Donald was 53.
ABC News correspondent Don Dahler directly addressed widespread speculation, asking the Slovenian-born model about beliefs that she was attracted to Trump’s fortune rather than genuine affection.
Melania’s response was both defiant and philosophical.
“You know, the people, they don’t know me,” she declared. “People who talk like this, they don’t know me.”
When Dahler pressed further, noting that “You don’t see many 26-year-old supermodels on the arm of a 53-year-old car mechanic,” Melania offered a perspective that revealed her understanding of material wealth’s limitations.
“You can’t sleep or hug or talk with beautiful things, with beautiful apartments, beautiful planes, beautiful cars, beautiful houses. You can’t do that. You could feel very empty,” she explained.
She concluded her defense by emphasizing that critics simply misunderstood her character: “And if somebody said, ‘You know, you’re with the man because he’s rich and famous,’ they don’t know me.”
The resurfaced footage has generated intense discourse across social media platforms, with viewers offering mixed views on her answer.
Love this interview with Melania at age 26. When asked if she had been hurt by the comments that she was with Donald Trump because he was rich, she gave a very honest and mature answer and said…“they don’t know me”. Love our @FLOTUS
pic.twitter.com/gcEpuF8Rgo
— 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕷𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘
(@CL4WS_OUT) July 17, 2025
“Her answer didn’t make any sense,” wrote one social media user, while another observed, “She never actually answered the question.”
Historical records paint a different picture of Melania’s circumstances when she met Trump. Born in the former Yugoslavia, she moved to the United States in 1996 to pursue modeling opportunities, but her career was still developing. Associated Press documents revealed she was paid for 10 modeling assignments worth $20,056 during a seven-week period before obtaining legal work authorization. She had to work.
Others were more cynical.
One commenter noted, “Right, Trump’s money had nothing to do with her deciding to date him laughable. She was not dating regular guy’s that’s for sure.”
Another claimed, “I’m confident the money doesn’t hurt.”
The skepticism extended to observations about their current relationship dynamics.
“There is no question she is only with him for the money. Sleeps in a different room, turns her back on his infidelity and adultery. Keeps her from having too sleep with him,” another user quipped, referencing ongoing speculation about the couple’s marriage.
The 1999 interview occurred five years before Trump proposed in 2004, followed by their wedding in January 2005. Their son Barron was born the following year. Throughout their relationship, Melania has maintained her privacy preference.
It is believed she currently splits her time between Florida, Washington, D.C., and New York, where Barron attends college. Also, during the first 100 days of her husband’s second presidency, it is reported she only spent about 14 days in the White House.
Adding intrigue to her story, a 1993 Slovenian commercial has also resurfaced featuring a 23-year-old Melania portraying a fictional female president of the United States for the clothing brand MURA. The low-budget advertisement showed her stepping off a plane and being escorted by security, eerily foreshadowing her eventual role in the White House decades later.
Despite her 1999 defense, suspicions about the authenticity of her feelings persist into the present day.
Recent public appearances have only fueled more speculation about their marriage. During a trip to Texas following devastating floods that claimed over 120 lives, cameras captured a brief moment as the couple prepared to board Marine One when Trump reached for Melania’s hand, only for her to pull away seconds later. The fleeting gesture reignited conversations about their relationship dynamics, with observers analyzing every second of the interaction.
Similar incidents have occurred throughout both of Trump’s presidencies. At Madison Square Garden, Melania appeared to dodge a kiss from her husband. Reports from an putative insider with RadarOnline suggest she has requested separate living arrangements within the White House and has spent less than a full month there since the January 20 inauguration.
Her 1999 words about emptiness despite material abundance now carry additional weight, given ongoing questions about whether her marriage represents genuine love or calculated partnership. Whether her decades-old defense convinces modern skeptics remains debatable, but the interview provides valuable insight into how she viewed love and luxury at the beginning of their relationship.
‘The Money Doesn’t Hurt’: Melania Trump’s Fiery Response to Claims About Her Marriage to Donald Trump in Resurfaced Interview Leaves Fans Stunned