There’s a renewed spark inside the Executive Residence.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania displayed affection like newlyweds during their visit to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, which also happened to fall on Melania’s 55th birthday.

Indeed the pair, who despite having been married since 2005 have often looked awkward in each other’s company, drew comment for just how tactile they were being.

They walked with arms draped around each other, held hands and giggled at the Vatican, and even kissed in full view of the cameras.

Now, sources close to Melania’s inner circle have given the Daily Mail an exclusive insight into the state of the presidential marriage – explaining that these very public and unusual displays of affection are signs of a private reinvigoration.

But they may also serve a practical purpose for our ageing president.

As one source revealed of 78-year-old Trump: ‘There is a possibility that he is reaching for Melania for both emotional and physical stability… the president is getting older. His gait is not as steady.’

‘This is a solid partnership,’ the source added. ‘They have been married 20 years, there is a synergy between them.’

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania looked like newlyweds as they packed on the PDAs this weekend while traveling to Rome for Pope Francis ‘ funeral and celebrating Melania’s 55th birthday.

They walked with arms draped around each other, held hands and giggled together at the Vatican, and even kissed in full view of the cameras. 

Sources close to the First Lady’s inner circle have told the Daily Mail that these very public displays of affection are indeed signs of a smoldering private romance – and that their marriage is stronger than ever. (Pictured: Trump and Melania at The White House Easter egg roll). 

Pointing to recent turmoil over tariffs and Trump’s policies on the war in Ukraine, this insider explained how Melania has been a great source of comfort to her husband of late: ‘The president has had a difficult few weeks. Melania provides an oasis because she remains above and outside the political fray.’

This newfound affection comes in sharp contrast to the infamous froideur which seemed to characterize the Trump relationship during his first term.

Then, the apparent tension between the couple was so strong that it sparked an international campaign to ‘Free Melania,’ with proponents ridiculously claiming the First Lady was being held by her husband against her will.

At the 2017 Women’s March some hoisted placards reading ‘Melania: blink twice if you need help,’ while others dissected her every action believing she was trying to share her ‘true’ thoughts through her outfits and gestures.

Now, another source close to the first couple tells the Daily Mail that the campaign was ‘patronizing’, saying: ‘The narrative that Melania is a hostage in this marriage is a liberal fantasy that someone like her cannot be that close to someone like him.

‘It’s very diminishing to her to say that she is caught. These faux concerns are always couched in terms of sympathy, but they really diminish her agency and render her an unpowerful women.’

But for all that pushback, it’s worth remembering that ‘Free Melania’ was not conjured out of thin air.

The First Lady’s self-proclaimed advocates pointed to a series of awkward public interactions that went viral in the early days of Trump’s presidency.

First came her infamous grimace at Trump’s inauguration ceremony, during which Melania presented a smiling face to her husband, only for it to slip into a scowl the moment he turned his back.

Then, there was the infamous scene in 2017 when she batted Trump’s searching hand away while they walked along a red carpet in Tel Aviv.

He was similarly rebuffed in October 2020 when, at the final presidential debate, Melania pulled her hand free from his grasp as they walked off the stage.

After he then won the White House, Melania delayed moving to Washington for several months, remaining in New York while Trump went on ahead to DC alone – a physical distance into which some read an emotional disconnect.

When Melania did eventually move, critics jumped on reports that they slept in separate bedrooms as proof that she was miserable.

But sources close to Melania dismiss such suggestions and tell the Daily Mail that the Trumps’ sleeping arrangements were ‘not indicative of an unhappy marriage.’

‘This is a solid partnership… they have been married 20 years,’ the source said, ‘there is a synergy between them.’ (Melania and Trump are pictured at the Liberty Ball in January 2025).

A new Daily Mail poll has revealed Melania to be the most popular person in her husband’s administration. (Pictured: Melania and Trump at the 2025 inauguration). 

‘They ate dinner together every night, though they did not share a bedroom. Trump slept in a room adjacent to the yellow oval room,’ an insider said, pointing to another union famous for its longevity, ‘Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip didn’t share a bedroom either.’

They added: ‘The residence staff really liked the Trumps during the first term. If you have a frigid marriage on a knife’s edge, staff can tell and it’s uncomfortable. There was a good vibe from the housekeepers.’

For her part, Melania has frequently denied whispers of marital tension.

In her 2024 memoir, she dismissed that Tel Aviv incident from eight years ago as a ‘misunderstanding’ and wrote: ‘The media labeled it as a “swat” and used it as supposed evidence of marital discord.

‘This false narrative had been perpetuated since the beginning of the campaign, and it was disheartening to see how eager people were to believe in it.’

Some have wondered if the couple’s recent public displays of affection are a conscious attempt to correct that ‘false narrative.’

But those close to the First Lady’s inner circle shoot down that theory.

One source explained: ‘I don’t think Melania gives a f*** about that narrative enough to be doing this for optics.

‘People are always trying to read something into Melania’s behavior. But she’s very straightforward. What you see is what you get.’

Others have suggested that the cozier public image may be the result of a financial negotiation between Trump and Melania. The couple have long been dogged by rumors that theirs is not a love match but instead one governed by stringent legal agreements.

Two years ago, sources claimed that Melania had re-negotiated the terms of her prenuptial agreement at least twice: once in 2016 after allegations Trump had an affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels surfaced and again in 2023 when the extent of the legal bills for the civil suits against him became clear.

In Melania’s memoir she described financial independence as ‘a core value,’ adding, ‘I firmly believe in maintaining control over one’s own life, regardless of who you marry.’

Indeed, a source close to Melania didn’t deny that this is a component of their relationship, they simply rejected the notion that it is in any way negative or unusual.

‘Every marriage is transactional to a certain extent,’ they pointed out. ‘To think that the Trumps don’t have that aspect in their marriage is to be naïve.’

But they insist that the increased affection so clearly on display between Melania and Trump is born of genuine feelings rather than shared commercial interests.

Indeed, Trump has always been effusive about Melania since they met in 1998 and has long been vocal in his praise for their marriage.

‘We literally have never had an argument; forget about the word “fight”,’Trump said in a joint interview with Melania on Larry King Live in May 2005. ‘We’ve never even had an argument. We just are very compatible. We get along.’

Because, whatever’s at the heart of this couple’s new touchy-feely dynamic, there’s no denying they have done what many high-profile couples have failed to do.

They have made their marriage work, recently celebrating their twentieth anniversary, and they have done it under circumstances more fraught than most could ever dream of.

So perhaps it’s time to take them at their word or, if not their word, then their heavy PDA.