Why Melania Trump Reportedly Won’t Make the White House Her Home Base as First Lady

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Melania Trump is getting a second chance at being the First Lady of the United States after her husband, Donald Trump, won the 2024 presidential election. While it’s a fresh opportunity for her to make the experience better than the first tumultuous time, insiders are saying it’s unlikely that she will spend much time in Washington, D.C.

Political sources are telling CNN that Melania is expected to stay at Trump Tower in Manhattan to be close to her son Barron, 18, who is currently attending New York University, and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. “She has carte blanche – she can be as active in the East Wing or as inactive as she cares to be,” Kate Bennett, author of Free, Melania, told the media outlet. One look at the former model’s campaign activities is likely a huge hint at how she will conduct her first lady duties the second time around.

Bennett doesn’t believe there’s a huge demand to see Melania anymore outside of major White House functions because there “has been the lack of a continuing platform or policy agenda that most first ladies build on” after leaving the White House in January 2021. Kate Andersen Brower, the author of First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies, told The New York Times in July 2023. “She’s the most obviously unknowable first lady,” she explained. “First ladies are expected to want to please people and I’m not sure she really cares.”

Melania even indicated during her Fox News interview in October that knowledge is power this time around. “I’m not anxious because this time is different. I have much more experience and much more knowledge. I was in the White House before. When you go in, you know exactly what to expect,” she explained. It’s likely why she skipped the traditional “tea and tour” with current First Lady Dr. Jill Biden — Melania isn’t interested in doing anything that’s expected of her. 

CNN reported that discussions are “ongoing” about Melania’s involvement, but it seems pretty clear the unpaid role isn’t of much interest to her. The political ambitions are her husband’s dreams. Instead, she seems to be involved in her sometimes-controversial side hustles with digital images being sold on Solana blockchain. Melania is going to continue to do things her way and the public will have to wait and see how invested she is in the first lady role.

Before you go, click here to see quotes that prove Melania Trump is a lot like her husband.