Melania Trump operates 'independently' from Donald Trump, claims new book

An explosive new tell-all book has revealed Donald and Melania Trump lead mostly separate lives.

Bob Woodward's shocking new exposé, Fear, is based on hundreds of "deep background" interviews with top Trump aides and "firsthand sources".

According to Woodward, an investigative journalist, the Trumps don't spend a great deal of time together.

"They ate dinner together at times, spent some time together," he writes, "but they never really seemed to merge their lives."

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He adds: "Melania's primary concern was their son, Barron."

One source reportedly tells the author that the first lady is "obsessed with Barron".

"That is her focus 100 per cent," the source says.

The book also claims the 48-year-old wife of the US president does have some level of "sincere affection" for her husband.

"West Wingers and those who travelled regularly with Trump noticed that he and Melania seemed to have some sincere affection for each other despite media speculation," Woodward writes. "But she operated independently."

President Trump, 72, has refuted his portrayal in the controversial book.

"It's just another bad book," he told The Daily Caller.

"He's had a lot of credibility problems.

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"It's just nasty stuff. I never spoke to him. Maybe I wasn't given messages that he called. I probably would have spoken to him if he'd called, if he'd gotten through. For some reason I didn't get messages on it."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement earlier this month denying the claims made in Woodward's book.

"This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad," read the statement.

"While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, President Trump has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people."