Did President Donald Trump redefine marriage by decreeing that couples who date for over five years are legally married? No, that's NOT true. There have been no announcements from Trump nor statements from the White House press secretary nor any of their spokespersons regarding new laws aimed at redefining marriage by including within its legal framework unmarried couples who have been dating for more than five years. The federal government does not directly regulate the rights of unmarried couples; instead, state laws govern these rights, with some states granting certain rights to such couples.
The claim appeared on a TikTok video (archived here) on August 3, 2025. The screen caption read:
Dating 5 Years?
You're Now LEGALLY Married
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken by Lead Stories.)
The one-minute video does not include links to official websites, statements, or interviews to support the claims. The narration said:
Breaking: As of 3 August 2025, Donald Trump just redefined marriage in a way no one saw coming. If you've been dating for five years, congratulations, you are now married. According to a statement released earlier today, any romantic relationship lasting five years or more is now a legal marriage under federal law. starting August one, people all over the country begin receiving official marriage licenses by mail, even if they didn't apply Trump's team Says this will strengthen American families and cut government waste. But legal experts are freaking out, because under this rule, live together for five years: married, on-off dating for five years, married. Partner has kids? They are your legal dependents, that means shared debt, shared custody, even alimony if you split.
Using the search string "Trump redefines marriage for relationships of 5 years or more" on Google, Lead Stories couldn't find any reports or posts from reputable sources supporting the claims in the TikTok video. However, the search did reveal fact-checks of this information by agencies like Snopes.
As of August 5, 2025, there are no posts supporting the claims in the TikTok video from Trump's verified X account (archived here), his Truth Social account (archived here), White House press releases (archived here), or the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's X account (archived here). Additionally, searches of the list of presidential actions (archived here) and executive orders (archived here) did not show related results.
The federal government does not directly regulate the rights of unmarried couples. Instead, these rights are governed by state laws, with some states offering certain protections through common-law marriages or civil unions. Common-law marriages allow couples to be recognized as married without a formal ceremony or certificate if they meet specific requirements. While states primarily manage marriage and divorce, the federal government influences the definition and recognition of marriage, particularly regarding federal benefits and legal rights. However, it lacks the authority to legislate on marital contracts within individual states.
Additionally, contrary to the claims in the TikTok post, under the law, the new partner is generally not legally required to support children from a previous relationship. In most states, according to analysis in the FindLaw legal blog, child support guidelines do not take the new partner's income into account when determining support.
