First Lady Melania Trump isn’t spending much time at the White House, according to new reports. The former model has been busy promoting a book and shooting a documentary in recent months.
According to “two people with knowledge of Mrs. Trump’s schedule” cited by The New York Times, the first lady has “spent fewer than 14 days at the White House since her husband was inaugurated 108 days ago.”
“It’s like having Greta Garbo as first lady,” said the outlet. It also said that her wing of the White House remains dark, though it noted that she has hired staff for the East Wing.
This isn’t exactly a new thing for Melania – she appears to prefer being elusive. Back in 2023, Audacy reported that she wasn’t seen at her husband’s early presidential campaign events. Throughout the campaign she made sparing appearances, including attending an event for Log Cabin Republicans, a longtime group for LGBTQ conservatives.
“It’s not the first time people have noted Melania’s absence from former President Donald Trump’s side at political events and legal proceedings,” Audacy reported last March. “Intelligencer from New York Magazine described her public presence last year as akin to ‘Where’s Waldo’ with appearances at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral and a National Archives ceremony. Snarky ‘Missing Melania’ flyers were even distributed earlier this year at an Iowa football game.”
Per the Times’ new report, Melania was concerned about safety during the start of her husband’s first term in 2017 and waited months to move into the White House. Her fears have grown following the assassination attempt last summer, the report added.
Since her husband began his second term, Melania has made some public appearances. In March, she gave a speech to support legislation to protect victims of revenge porn. She also attended the Easter Egg Roll at the White House and is expected to be there Thursday to help unveil a stamp recognizing former First Lady Barbara Bush and attend a ceremony for military mothers. Last month, she attended Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican.
This week, she posted about National Foster Care Month on X.
Yet, instead of spending all of her time in Washington, D.C., Melania has also been at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, and at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Her son with Trump – 19-year-old Barron – is currently attending college at New York University. During Trump’s last term, Melania’s parents were often with her at the White House, said the Times. Her mother, Amalija Knavs, died last year, and she now spends much time with her father, Viktor.
In an interview with Fox News, Melania said that she feels like parents should be very involved with their children until they are 18 or 19. She also said that she planned to spend time at the White House as well as New York and Florida.
“[Trump] Administration officials say she is at the White House more often than the public knows, but when exactly, and for how long, these officials will not (or perhaps cannot) say for certain,” said The New York Times report. It said that officials in the East Wing and West Wing declined multiple requests for comment.
According to the report, the president has even taken on some duties that usually fall to first ladies, such selecting light fixtures for the White House residence, redesigning the Rose Garden, greeting tour groups in the East Wing and hosting receptions for Women’s History Month. Still, she is interested in those projects – she recently posted about the Rose Garden on X – and reportedly wasn’t thrilled about her husband’s idea to pave over the Rose Garden for parties, but agreed when Trump confirmed the rose bushes would remain.
“That the first lady’s whereabouts is among the most sensitive of subjects in this White House only adds to the intrigue,” said the Times, which noted that she is not expected to travel with her husband to the Middle East next week. However, the outlet also quoted Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent from Italy and friend of the Trumps, who said that Melania “loves the White House” and loves being first lady.
Katie Rogers, author of the book “American Woman” about first ladies, predicted last year that Melania Trump wouldn’t be limiting herself to D.C. if her husband won a second term. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former senior adviser to Melania who wrote the book “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady” also noted that Trump’s supporters don’t expect his wife to be at his side constantly.