Despite her promise to support her husband, First Lady Melania Trump has spent less than two weeks at the White House since Donald Trump returned to Washington, according to The New York Times.
Sources say it would be an overstatement to claim she’s spent even 14 days there since January. The White House East Wing, where First Ladies usually reside, remains dark.
Over the past 108 days, Melania has made only a few public appearances at the White House, including the Easter Egg Roll and the State Department’s Women of Courage Awards. She also attended Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26 and is expected back in Washington soon for events honoring military mothers and former First Lady Barbara Bush.
Insiders say she prefers staying at Trump Tower in New York or Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where she avoids public attention. Officials from the Trump administration told reporters that Melania visits the White House without the public’s knowledge, but did not provide further details.
Unlike her predecessors, Melania hasn’t taken on traditional First Lady duties. Donald Trump has overseen the Rose Garden renovation, greeted visitors in the East Wing, and hosted Women’s History Month events himself.
In addition to her limited public appearances, Melania launched a cryptocurrency, backed a bill that seeks to ban the online distribution of AI-generated deepfakes, and signed a $40 million Amazon deal for a documentary about her time as First Lady.
In a pre-inauguration interview, she promised to serve as a devoted wife, mother, and First Lady. However, her current low profile has drawn comparisons to Bess Truman, one of the most private First Ladies in U.S. history.
In April, she even skipped a baby shower hosted by her stepdaughter Tiffany Trump.
