Why insiders say Melania Trump could be the first 'part-time First Lady' and may not even move back to the White House
As Donald Trump stood before a raucous crowd of supporters on Tuesday night, basking in his thumping election victory and thanking his family and campaign staff, one of his tributes sent eyebrows twitching.
'I want to also thank my beautiful wife, Melania,' he crooned. 'Who has the number one best-selling book in the country. Can you believe that?'
With the MAGA masses erupting into cheers, the ever-poised Melania, dressed in a perfectly tailored Dior skirt-suit, flashed a modest smile and waved.
For a moment, she appeared more at ease than perhaps at any other point during this long election campaign.
Earlier on Election Day, the former First Lady had accompanied her husband to a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida. When a reporter asked how she was feeling, Melania offered a curt: 'Very good, thank you.'
Melania has been near-invisible for the entire 2024 race, which raises the burning question: What will this most reluctant First Lady's second term look like?
For a moment, she appeared more at ease than perhaps at any other point during this long election campaign. (Melania is pictured with Barron and Donald on election night in 2016).
Her true expression was masked by her trademark oversized sunglasses.
To seasoned Trump watchers, such reticence came as no surprise. After all, Melania has been near-invisible for the entire 2024 race.
Days after Trump was shot in the ear, Melania made one brief appearance at the Republican National Convention in July – only entering the family box after her husband had left it. She also avoided attending the televised presidential debates – usually customary for candidates' spouses – and was even a no-show at a 78th birthday bash held for Trump this summer in West Palm Beach.
At his final large-scale rally, at New York's Madison Square Garden last month, she spoke for just a few minutes to introduce him to the stage.
Elsewhere, she has hosted just two private political fundraising events. For at least one of them, she received a personal six-figure paycheck.
This kind of payday is unheard of for a first lady. It is not thought that any of her recent predecessors — not Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, nor Laura Bush — ever charged for appearances at political functions.
All of which raises the burning question: What will this most reluctant First Lady's second term look like?
All of which raises the burning question: What will this most reluctant First Lady's second term look like? (Melania and Donald are pictured with Barron at the Republican National Convention in 2016).
For months, rumors have been swirling about where Melania will reside if her husband wins again.
Insiders have suggested that she will now be looking to steer clear of the Washington limelight that seemed to drain her during Trump's first term.
Instead, it appears likely that she will make occasional White House visits, while splitting the majority of her time between her homes in Florida and New York City, where her only son Barron, 18, is now at university.
According to Trump chronicler Michael Wolff, some senior Republicans have already been floating the idea of a new nomenclature: 'a part-time First Lady'.
Certainly, a quieter life away from public service would appear to suit Melania's needs.
After her husband 2016 victory, some reports claimed his wife – a quarter-century younger than him – broke down in tears of upset, not joy.
Up until that fateful day, she'd led a relatively private life. The modeling days of her youth were behind her and she'd focused instead on raising Barron, while dabbling in occasional business ventures like jewelry lines and skincare products that often came to nothing.
And indeed, after that Trump 2016 victory, Melania didn't rush to embrace her First Lady role.
According to Trump chronicler Michael Wolff, some senior Republicans have already been floating the idea of a new nomenclature: 'a part-time First Lady'.
For months, rumors have been swirling about where Melania will reside if her husband wins again. Insiders have suggested that she will now be looking to steer clear of the Washington limelight that seemed to drain her during Trump's first term.
Certainly, a quieter life away from public service would appear to suit Melania's needs. After her husband 2016 victory, some reports claimed his wife – a quarter-century younger than him – broke down in tears of upset, not joy.
In fact, she stayed in New York for an unprecedented five months before finally moving to the White House. The official explanation was that she'd wanted Barron, then 10, to complete the school year in the city.
Though some insiders alleged that Melania was using the time away from Trump as a bargaining chip to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement.
Of course, there have long been whispers of lingering resentment over Trump's alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, which is said to have occurred soon after Barron's birth.
That alleged tryst was, once again, thrust into the public consciousness last year, when Trump was indicted on fraud charges related to hush-money payments made to Daniels.
Melania absented herself for the entirety of the ensuing trial – which ended in a conviction for Trump. According to the New York Times, she viewed the Daniels scandal as 'his problem'.
When Melania finally moved into the White House in 2017, she reportedly compared it to a Venezuelan prison while speaking with the wife of a former political prisoner from the country.
Her team later denied the comment but it did little to dampen the sense that Melania wasn't entirely thrilled by the idea of a life in politics.
Now, with Trump gearing up for another term, first-lady expert and decorated journalist Kate Andersen Brower says that Melania appears to be 'distancing herself even more from her husband and from the Washington social-political scene.'
Meanwhile, Melania biographer Mary Jordan claims that Ms Trump has 'made a deal with her husband that if he wins the presidency [again], she will not have to fulfil first lady duties 24/7.'
Barron is now decisively an adult man and attending New York University, but it seems the notoriously hands-on and fiercely protective mother in Melania can't let go.
It is understood that she feels it is important to stay near to Barron.
This may be something she has felt more keenly following the passing of her mother in January this year aged 78.
During Trump's first term, Melania's Slovenian parents also relocated to a property in DC. Melania was particularly close to them, reportedly spending large portions of time at their home with Barron.
It is understood that she feels it is important to stay near to Barron. This may be something she has felt more keenly following the passing of her mother in January this year aged 78.
Now, with Trump gearing up for another term, Melania biographer Mary Jordan claims that Ms Trump has 'made a deal with her husband that if he wins the presidency [again], she will not have to fulfil first lady duties 24/7.'
Melania appears to be 'distancing herself even more from her husband and from the Washington social-political scene.'
During Trump's first term, Melania's Slovenian parents – Amalija and Viktor Knavs – also relocated to a property in DC. Melania was particularly close to them, reportedly spending large portions of time at their home with Barron.
Melania has described Amalija's death as bringing a 'deep sadness'. Certainly, it means that familial support network would no longer be close at hand if she were to return to DC.
In her memoir, published last month, Melania wrote of how much she values her privacy.
'I have chosen to maintain a more discreet presence in the public eye, in stark contrast to Donald,' she wrote. 'I have always prized my privacy and opted for a more selective lifestyle.'
But, in plugging that memoir on Tuesday as he declared his historic victory to the world ('the number one best-selling book in the country'), one can't help but wonder if that public shout-out was part of the price for her rare appearance by his side.
And, if the most powerful man in the world continues to advertise his wife's personal ventures, perhaps Melania will be happy to stick around.
