How Donald Trump's Age-Gap Relationship With Wife Melania Could Affect His Life Expectancy
President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, have a greater than two-decade age difference between them, which, according to scientists, may be good news for the president's health, especially if he wants to enjoy a nice, long life (although his staffers worry Trump's unhealthy habits may reduce his longevity). A 2010 study published in Demography found that having a younger wife was associated with greater longevity for the husband, perhaps due to positive social and emotional effects that stem from having a younger spouse. According to the authors, it could also be because the younger partner can take on the role of caregiver as the older one ages. As far as how much it affected risk, they noted that, when the man was 15 years older than the woman, men had a 4% lower chance of dying when compared to other men.
On the other hand, having an older husband may not be as beneficial for Melania Trump, at least according to this study. Women had the lowest risk of death when their spouse was the same age as them.
Donald and Melania Trump's age-gap relationship has mixed benefits for Melania
The 2010 study found that women had reduced longevity, both when they had a much younger spouse and when their spouse was much older, as in the case of Melania's marriage to the president. Several possible reasons were identified for the discrepancy. For example, serving as a caretaker for an older husband can be stressful. Additionally, there may be an imbalance of power that leads the woman to feel that she has to remain youthful in appearance.
It's not all bad news for Melania, though. A 2025 study published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy found that the younger partner tends to be happier in the relationship because they see it as having greater financial stability than if they were with a younger man.
It should also be noted that married people in general tend to live longer than their unmarried counterparts. In a 2020 study in SSM – Population Health, it was found that at age 65, married women could expect to live about 1.5 years longer than unmarried women while also enjoying 2 additional years of good health. For married men, these figures were 2.2 and 2.4 years, respectively. That's good news for anyone looking for ways to boost longevity.