A Most Sensitive Subject in the White House: Where Is Melania?
Mrs. Trump has spent fewer than 14 days at the White House since her husband was inaugurated 108 days ago.
The lights never seem to be on and the shutters stay shut.
As the weeks pass by at the White House, the corner of the residence long used by first ladies remains dark, because this first lady does not really live in Washington.
Melania Trump vanishes from view for weeks at a time, holing up in Trump Tower in Manhattan or in Florida, where she can lie low at Mar-a-Lago. 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.
It’s like having Greta Garbo as first lady.
Mrs. Trump is expected to reappear in the capital on Thursday to unveil a postage stamp honoring Barbara Bush, the former first lady, and to attend a ceremony for military mothers. But two people with knowledge of Mrs. Trump’s schedule said she had spent fewer than 14 days at the White House since her husband was inaugurated 108 days ago. Others say even that is a generous estimate. Officials in the East Wing and West Wing declined multiple requests for comment for this article.
That the first lady’s whereabouts is among the most sensitive of subjects in this White House only adds to the intrigue.
“We haven’t seen such a low-profile first lady since Bess Truman, and that’s going way back in living human memory, nearly 80 years ago,” said Katherine Jellison, a historian at Ohio University whose research has focused on first ladies. She said that, like Mrs. Trump, Mrs. Truman spent much of her time running back to “her home base whenever she had the chance.” (In Mrs. Truman’s case, that was Independence, Mo.)
“She just kind of liked her own private world,” Ms. Jellison said.
The same is true of this first lady. She has hired staff to work for her in the East Wing, but she rarely goes into the office. Even regulars at Mar-a-Lago say they don’t often see Mrs. Trump around the premises.
Every marriage has its highs and lows, but as with so many other things, the Trumps are in a league of their own. In the span of just a few months last year, the couple endured a public trial about his philandering, two assassination attempts and a presidential campaign.
The trial, which concerned hush money Donald J. Trump paid to a porn star, made for an especially challenging moment for the couple, two people with knowledge of their dynamic said. Mrs. Trump kept well away from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan and from the campaign that kicked into high gear in the weeks that followed.
The attempted assassination of her husband over the summer — and a subsequent incident in which a gunman got close to Mr. Trump on one of his golf courses — deeply spooked a woman who was already worried about her family’s safety and had been for years, according to two people familiar with her thinking. The first time President Trump was inaugurated, in 2017, she was concerned about even getting out of the car to walk in the parade.
At the White House this time around, Mr. Trump has taken to performing some duties that typically would fall to a first lady. She’s not the one carefully selecting light fixtures for the White House residence, redesigning the Rose Garden, greeting tour groups in the East Wing or hosting receptions for Women’s History Month. He is.
It has been a decade since husband and wife rode that golden escalator down into national political life together. Now, he has come to a moment in which he finds himself flush with power and self-confidence like never before. And yet, as he expands, she shrinks.
Mr. and Mrs. Trump do share one common approach to public office, though. They both know how to make money from the exposure. In January, Mrs. Trump launched her own cryptocurrency token. “You can buy $MELANIA now,” she wrote on social media the day before her husband’s second inauguration.
And then there is the deal she struck with Amazon, reported to have been about $40 million, for a documentary offering a “behind the scenes” look at her life as first lady.
What might that show? It’s hard to say, exactly.
‘You serve the country’
Mrs. Trump waited for months to move into the White House last time. But that was because her son was just 10, and his mother took the time she needed to arrange his schooling and the transition to a new city. Back then, Mrs. Trump’s parents were omnipresent at the White House as she learned to navigate the role. Mrs. Trump’s mother, Amalija Knavs, died in January 2024. These days, Mrs. Trump spends a lot of time with her father, Viktor.
Barron Trump is 19 now. He is finishing his freshman year at New York University and is increasingly independent. Still, there is a part of Mrs. Trump that remains attached to the protective maternal role she has in his life, people around her say.
“You know, I feel that as children, we have them until they are like 18, 19 years old,” Mrs. Trump told Fox News in a rare interview she gave in January before the inauguration. “We teach them. We guide them. And then we give them the wings to fly.”
She was asked where she planned to spend most of her time this term.
“I will be in the White House,” she answered. “And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach. But my first priority is, you know, to be a mom, to be a first lady, to be a wife. And once we are in on Jan. 20, you serve the country.”
Because Mrs. Trump is seldom seen or heard from, the times when she does appear provide a glimpse of how she sees her role. Some of her choices have been in line with traditional first lady duties — up to a point.
She stood alongside her husband to preside over the White House Easter Egg Roll last month, but even that raised ethical and legal concerns after it was revealed that corporate sponsors were allowed to contribute. (All money raised was to go to the White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit educational organization founded by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961.)
On April 1, she spoke at the State Department for the International Women of Courage awards, the first time she had been seen in public in Washington in weeks.
At the White House, the first lady has hired her own staff in the East Wing. But what to do when the boss doesn’t come into the office? “We were honored to welcome these curious, young gardeners to the White House this past week!” reads the caption of one recent video posted to the “FLOTUS” Instagram page.
But FLOTUS herself does not appear in the video. It’s not clear if she was even there.
Film crews have been spotted around Mrs. Trump lately. But for the most part, the Amazon documentary about her life is, like its subject, shrouded in mystery. Documentary filmmakers and Hollywood executives say that the $40 million that Amazon is reported to have paid for the documentary, which Mrs. Trump is executive producing, is tens of millions of dollars more than what such projects would ordinarily fetch. Amazon declined multiple requests for comment for this article, as did the film’s director, Brett Ratner.
Just as Mrs. Trump’s presence can make for an interesting sight, so too can her absence.
When the first tour group was led through the East Wing, it was Mr. Trump who popped up to surprise them. “The first lady worked very hard in making it perfect,” he told the group. But she was not there.
During the first Trump term, Mrs. Trump replanted and restored the Rose Garden. This term, the president plans to pave over it to turn it into a patio so he can entertain al fresco. Mrs. Trump was initially bothered by her husband’s plan, according to two people briefed on the matter. She has since been assured the rose bushes themselves will be left alone.
She also came around to the idea of the ballroom that he is adamant about building at the White House — once she was told the construction wouldn’t take place too close to the residence.
One person who has known Mrs. Trump for a long time is Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent from Italy who first spotted her in Milan in the 1990s. The Trumps say it was Mr. Zampolli who introduced them for the first time, in 1998, at the Kit Kat Club in Manhattan. He refers to Mrs. Trump reverently as “the lady.” Any persnickety questions about the lady’s absence in Washington, he said, were unfounded. “She loves the White House,” he insisted, “and she loves the role of serving as our first lady.”
When the president makes his big swing through the Middle East next week, to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the first lady is not expected to go with him.
But she did accompany him to Vatican City for Pope Francis’ funeral.
When they landed back in Newark on a Saturday afternoon, it was Mrs. Trump’s 55th birthday. The president gave her a kiss on the cheek. She got into a car, he climbed into Marine One, and they went their separate ways.
‘Shrouded in mystery’: Melania Trump has been missing from the White House
First Lady Melania Trump has been in the White House for fewer than 14 days at since President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, the New York Times reported Wednesday. According to some sources, “even that is a generous estimate.”
The report revealed that Melania does not live in Washington and “vanishes from view for weeks at a time, holing up in Trump Tower in Manhattan or in Florida.”
Having largely remained out of the public eye during Trump’s presidential campaign, the First Lady has made only a limited number of appearances since he returned to the White House. These include delivering a speech at the International Women of Courage Awards, attending Pope Francis’ funeral, and urging lawmakers to pass the Take It Down Act.
An upcoming multi-million dollar Amazon documentary about her life — as well as the First Lady herself — is “shrouded in mystery,” the report says.
“As the weeks pass by at the White House, the corner of the residence long used by first ladies remains dark, because this first lady does not really live in Washington,” notes Shawn McCreesh, the author of the report, who is the Times’ White House correspondent.
“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,” McCreesh wrote. “It’s like having Greta Garbo as first lady.”
The report further said Melania’s whereabouts “is among the most sensitive of subjects in this White House” and “only adds to the intrigue.”
She is said to have employed personnel to assist her in the East Wing, but she seldom visits the office. Even frequent visitors to Mar-a-Lago reportedly say they don’t often see the First Lady on the property.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Trump is scheduled to make two public appearances on May 8. According to the Office of the First Lady, she will host the unveiling of a U.S. Postal Service stamp honoring former First Lady Barbara Bush and participate in a Celebration of Military Mothers.
How does Melania Trump amass her $70M fortune?
Former model Melania Trump, wife of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has an estimated net worth of US$70 million, largely accumulated through her successful business ventures.
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Melania Trump, wife of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Photo from Melania Trump’s Twitter |
Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Melania has built a successful career, particularly in the worlds of fashion and business. She started her modeling career at 16, and by 18, she had signed with a Milan agency, quickly making her way onto the runways of Paris and Milan.
Her career took a significant turn when she moved to New York City in 1996, where she continued to model and became a familiar face on the covers of prestigious magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Glamour. These endeavors laid the foundation for her financial success.
Melania’s business acumen became evident in 2010 when she launched her own jewelry line Melania Timepieces and Jewelry, sold through QVC, an American television network and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping. It is estimated that she has earned over US$45 million from this venture alone over the past decade, including more than US$7 million in the past year.
Melania has also ventured into the literary world with the release of her eponymous memoir earlier this year, which debuted at the top of the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list.
She also owns a one-bedroom, 1.5-bath apartment in Trump Tower, located in New York City’s Manhattan neighborhood, according to Business Insider. She reportedly purchased the unit from the building’s condo board for nearly US$1.5 million in January 2016. The property covers 1,052 square feet (97.7 square meters) and offers views of Fifth Avenue and East 56th Street.
Melania, 54, was born Melania Knavs in Slovenia. She is the first naturalized citizen to become First Lady of the U.S.
According to The New York Times, she met Donald, 78, in 1998. The couple married in 2005, marking Donald’s third marriage and Melania’s first. They share a son, Barron Trump, who is Donald’s fifth and youngest child.
US President Donald Trump’s net worth outshines King Charles and Prince William
U.S. President Donald Trump’s net worth, estimated at US$6.3 billion, surpasses that of several British Royal Family members, including King Charles and Prince William.
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U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by AP |
Forbes reports that Trump’s net worth increased by nearly US$300 million following his presidential election victory on Wednesday, placing him as the 528th richest person in the world.
His wealth is primarily held in real estate, but he also owns golf courses, mansions, a winery, and a 1991 Boeing 757, affectionately known as Trump Force One.
Trump, aged 78, embarked on his career shortly after college, targeting Manhattan’s real estate market after leaving his native Queens and Brooklyn, according to The Mirror. He started with a US$1 million loan from his father and secured an additional US$100 million in bank loans with his father’s assistance. His acquisitions include the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Trump Tower, and Trump Plaza, contributing to a prosperous real estate portfolio.
Meanwhile, Time magazine, referencing the Sunday Times Rich List, states that 76-year-old King Charles has an estimated net worth of US$772 million.
According to the same source, the king’s most valuable holdings include the Sandringham and Balmoral estates. The Sandringham estate, spanning 20,000 acres in the eastern part of the country, is valued at approximately US$315 million. The Balmoral estate features the Aberdeenshire castle and encompasses 50,000 acres of land, valued at around US$265 million.
Time magazine also noted that 42-year-old Prince William’s wealth, primarily derived from the Duchy of Cornwall, is estimated at 1 billion pounds (US$1.3 billion), per various sources. The Duchy encompasses more than 52,000 hectares, including farmland, residential, commercial properties, and coastline.
Melania Trump defends abortion, challenging husband’s campaign
Melania Trump has voiced strong support for abortion rights in her upcoming memoir, taking a stance that sharply contrasts with her Republican White House candidate husband Donald Trump on a divisive U.S. election issue.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign reacted quickly Thursday to the former first lady’s unexpected revelation ahead of the November 5 vote.
According to book extracts, Melania Trump wrote that it is “imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government.”
The former first lady’s opinion diverges from that of her husband, who often brags that his picks of justices for the Supreme Court paved the way for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the end of the national right to abortion.
Since that 2022 court ruling, at least 20 U.S. states have brought in full or partial restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion is a major issue for voters in the tight presidential election race, and the Harris campaign jumped on the apparent disconnect.
“Sadly for the women across America, Mrs. Trump’s husband firmly disagrees with her and is the reason that more than one in three American women live under a Trump Abortion Ban that threatens their health, their freedom and their lives,” Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said.
“Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear: If he wins in November, he will ban abortion nationwide, punish women and restrict women’s access to reproductive health care.”
Trump told Fox News on Thursday that opinions on abortion differ across the country, and he had encouraged his wife to express herself honestly.
“We spoke about it, and I said, ‘You have to write what you believe. I’m not going to tell you what to do. You have to write what you believe’,” he told the network at a rally in Saginaw.
“There are some people that are very, very far right on the issue, meaning, without exceptions. And then there are other people that view it a little bit differently than that.”
According to The Guardian, which said it had obtained a copy of the memoir ahead of its publication next week, Melania wrote that “restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body.”
Melania Trump, who has been barely seen on the campaign trail as her husband seeks a White House comeback, also posted a slick black-and-white video on social media, though she didn’t mention abortion directly.
“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard. Without a doubt there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth,” she said, backed by the strains of sweeping classical music.
Her statements triggered fury from anti-abortion activists.
“It’s hard to follow the logic of putting out the former First Lady’s book right before the election undercutting President Trump’s message to pro-life voters,” Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America said on X.
“Abortion ends an innocent life and is the opposite of empowerment.”
Other former Republican first ladies Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush also took a pro-choice position on abortion, though after leaving the White House.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/KingCharlesLead-1f8f697676cb4b44bb8a32278ff52bea.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "King Charles won’t hand throne to Prince William as monarchy shake-up could spark ‘crisis’: experts")
