Melania Trump, wife of the U.S President-Elect is unlikely to move to Washington full time in her second go-round as first lady, multiple sources told CNN, once more showing signs of her willingness to buck tradition as she returns to her high-profile but unelected role on the world stage.
One of her first official decisions is to skip the traditional and symbolic meeting with outgoing first lady Jill Biden at the White House as President Joe Biden hosts the president-elect in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
After Jill Biden extended the invitation, there was discussion about the incoming first lady’s attendance, with members of Donald Trump’s team making clear that it was important for her to go. Sources cited a prior scheduling conflict for Melania Trump related to her book, and the office of the incoming first lady confirmed on X Wednesday morning that she would not attend the meeting.
But the episode signals that Trump, who spent her first four years in office redefining the role, is laying an early marker – and indicating she will have even more autonomy the second 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,” Trump said in a recent friendly interview with Fox News as she promoted her eponymous memoir.
Trump is expected to spend a majority of her time over the next four years not at the White House, but between New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, sources familiar with the thinking told CNN. However, they insisted she would still be present for major events and would have her own platform and priorities as first lady.
During his first term as president, Donald Trump spent winter weekends at Mar-a-Lago and summer weekends at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, and he is expected to continue to do so. The Bidens have similarly spent significant time at the family’s Delaware homes, though the White House has been both Joe and Jill Biden’s primary residence on weekdays for the past four years.
Melania Trump has developed a life and circle of friends in Florida over the past four years and is likely to continue spend a lot of her time there, sources said.
After the 2016 election, Trump delayed her move to Washington, opting to move into the White House months after the inauguration as son Barron, then 10, finished the school year. Barron Trump, now 18, is attending New York University.
Sources suggested the incoming first lady would also spend a significant amount of time at Trump Tower in New York to be close to her son, Barron. She was seen in the city Sunday, returning with him from Florida aboard the president-elect’s private plane.
“I could not say I’m an empty nester. I don’t feel that way,” Melania Trump told Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt last month.
“It was his decision to come here, that he wants to be in New York, study in New York, and live in his home and I respect that. … He’s enjoying his college days. I hope he will have a great experience because his life is very different than any other 18-, 19-year-old child,” she said.
The prospect of a first lady declining to live full time at the White House offers a remarkable break in precedent but should not be surprising to those who have long observed Melania Trump.
“She has carte blanche – she can be as active in the East Wing or as inactive as she cares to be,” said Kate Bennett, a former CNN White House correspondent who chronicled Melania Trump’s first tenure and the author of “Free, Melania.”
Trump telegraphed those plans in the difference between how she participated in the 2024 election versus her husband’s first two runs, when she was more active on the campaign trail. This time around, she was largely absent, attending only his announcement that he was running for reelection; his October Madison Square Garden rally, where she delivered brief remarks; and his election night party in West Palm Beach.
Her preference, sources familiar with her thinking said, is not to be publicly involved, and there is no internal backlash among the president-elect’s team. Sources often cite her as a constant voice in her husband’s ear, giving him advice. One source said they heard her give him a pep talk before a CNN town hall, while another said she weighed in before his June debate against President Biden.
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