Donald Trump's biographer makes bombshell claim about state of president's marriage

The couple are (Image: Getty)

A renowned writer and Donald Trump biographer has made a bombshell claim about the state of the Commander in Chief's marriage. Michael Wolff, who received critical acclaim for Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, his inight into the 2016 presidential campaign, has alleged that the president and his wife Melania are essentially "separated". He told the Daily Beast podcast: “They clearly do not in any way inhabit a marriage as we define marriage, and I think maybe we can more specifically say they live separate lives. “They are separated. The president of the United States and the first lady are separated.”

The first lady's intermittent appearances beside her husband before and after his return to the White House in January have sparked rampant speculation about their marriage - with conspiracy theorists even suggesting that a body double was hired to replace her for public appearances.

Sources said the first lady wasn't planning to live full-time in the White House (Image: Getty)

Adding fuel to the fire, the New York Times reported that Melania has spent no more than 14 days at the president's official residence since her husband returned to office, with sources telling the paper than even that was a "generous" approximation.

They also suggested that she had been "deeply spooked" by the two attempts on Trump's life last year, which came as she "was already worried about her family's safety and had been for years".

White House communications director Steven Cheung vehemently denied the claims, labelling Wolfe "an imbecile of the highest order".

He told The Telegraph: "His Trump Derangement Syndrome-addled brain has caused him to lead a miserable existence devoid of reality."

It comes after insiders told CNN that the first lady was unlikely to move back in to the White House full-time for her husband's second term - suggesting that she was instead planning to divide her time between New York and Palm Beach, Florida.

Speaking to Fox News ahead of her second stint as spouse of the president, Melania said: "I'm not anxious because this time is different. I have much more experience and knowledge.

"I was in the White House before. When you go in, you know exactly what to expect."

She also said she would spend most of her time in Washington DC but was also prepared to "be in New York ... [and] Palm Beach" when "needed".