Melania Trump, the 53-year-old wife of former President Donald Trump, has been noticeably absent from her husband's side in recent months, prompting rumors and reports that the couple are living mostly separate lives.

There have been various speculations about what has caused their (unofficial) separation.

One well-known fact is that Melania is a private person who does not like the limelight by which her husband is currently surrounded, both for good and ill.

The world is positively whipped into a frenzy over Donald Trump, either loving him or hating him, and his re-election demands that he keep that frenzy going as long as possible.

Need for privacy

As for Melania, however, she'd rather not deal with any of it, sources say.

Maybe that's why she has been in New York while her husband has been mostly in New Jersey at his Bedminster golf club.

There's also the matter of a rumored fight with Donald over his bringing son Barron's name into the public eye. He had apparently agreed not to do that.

Barron is 17 now, though, and will need to deal with the press sooner or later. Better for him to learn now in a small way than be completely blindsided as an adult.

Their marriage

Donald and Melania met in 1998, when she was a supermodel and he was a recently divorced person who enjoyed supermodels. He was 52 and she was 28 at the time.

Their son Barron was born sometime after they married, in 2006.

She remained faithfully by Donald's side through an improbable campaign, two impeachments, and the 2020 election fiasco. She hasn't said anything unsupportive even when he claimed to have won the 2020 election more than two years later and when he made up numerous juvenile nicknames for his opponent (Florida Governor Ron DeSantis) instead of debating him on the merits.

She even said recently that she'd like a chance to be first lady again and continue some of the work she started during Donald's first term.

Privacy's end?

If he manages to get re-elected in the middle of over 90 separate criminal charges against him in four separate cases, Melania would have to come a little more into the spotlight to be at her husband's side and discharge her duties as first lady once again.

No doubt, she would do so with dignity and class just as she did the first time Donald was president, and would elevate his presidency once again by doing so.