As the first ever midterm Republican National Convention was held this week in Dallas, Texas, First Lady Melania Trump was apparently not in the Lone Star State with her husband, President Donald Trump.
On the first day of the convention (Wednesday, Sept. 9), Melania was at the White House Rose Garden to present her “personal vision to preserve America’s story through superior design,” according to a press release. During the Rose Garden event, Melania discussed finding wallpaper created in 1852, helping to create the award-winning White House Tennis Pavilion during Trump’s first term and more.
“The White House stands as an architectural autobiography of America, embodying the enduring values of ambition, democracy, and civic life through its design, craftsmanship, and the objects within,” said Melania. “Generation after generation, America’s ideals and stories are woven directly into the fabric of the White House.”
Trump has received backlash this term over renovations to the White House that have included demolition of the East Wing to make way for a large ballroom. That project has been a dream of Trump’s for years.
USA Today said in a report this week that Melania would not be headed to the midterm convention before its Thursday conclusion. It said the event was prompted by Trump “to boost his party’s midterm election outlook.”
“Melania Trump’s presence has been sparse this summer; she went more than a month without a public appearance,” the outlet added. “She was also scarcely on the campaign trail in 2024. At the Republican National Convention in 2024, days after Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania, Melania Trump only appeared on the final night of the event, though she did not give a speech.”
After Trump won the 2024 election, Melania – a former model from Slovenia who has been known to keep out of the public eye since her husband entered politics – reportedly spent under 14 days in the White House during the first five months of 2025. At that time, she was promoting a book and shooting a documentary that came out this year.
Later in 2025, Melania reportedly spent under three minutes at the White House Christmas tree ceremony. This year, an X post from her account announced that the first lady is applying her creative vision to the White House Christmas tree display this year.
Last April, Melania made headlines for backing legislation protecting people from being depicted in revenge porn. Melania also announced that she was helping children displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This year brought renewed attention to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who moved in Trump and Melania’s New York social circle in the early 2000s. In April, Melania made a surprise statement regarding Epstein and mentions of her name in files about him released by the government. She had made history the previous month as the only sitting first lady to preside over the Security Council at the United Nations, USA Today noted.
“She also convened an international summit for her Fostering the Future initiative, where she debuted a humanoid robot that she says could help teach students,” said the outlet.
Last month, Audacy reported on how Trump and Melania’s 20-year-old son Barron, now a junior at New York University, was keeping out of the spotlight amid death threats. A “Trumpworld figure” cited by the New York Post said he and Melania spent much of the summer together at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.
