Des Moines, Iowa - President Donald Trump recently revealed the nickname he calls his wife Melania Trump in private, and the reason he enjoys it so much.

On Thursday, Trump delivered a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds for the Salute to America Celebration, during which he dropped the unoriginal pet name while discussing military recruitment with Melania.

"One year ago, I remember saying to our great first lady, I said, 'you know, first lady,' – I call her 'first lady' because it makes me feel good," Trump joked.

"'First lady.' Isn't it terrible? Saying, 'Good night, first lady, my darling?'" he continued, evoking laughter from the crowd.

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"[It's] because it reminds me that I'm president!" Trump added, with emphasis.

The president's remarks come as Melania has taken on an unprecedentedly small role as First Lady since his re-election by largely avoiding the public eye and opting out of staying at the White House with her husband, raising concerns about the state of their marriage.

Trump has regularly insisted that the American people "love" the first lady, but at the end of his first term in 2021, Melania left the White House with the lowest approval rating for a first lady in US history.

Melania will be featured in an Amazon Prime documentary about herself, for which she's getting paid $40 million. The film is expected to release in theaters in the second half of 2025.