Usually, it’s not news that the First Lady plans to live in the White House. But Melania Trump is a very unusual presidential spouse. So it was a bit of a surprise when she revealed in a Fox News interview on Monday that she’s “already packed” and ready to move back to Washington when Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20.
After sitting out nearly all of Trump’s 2024 campaign, Melania suddenly reemerged in October to drop a best-selling memoir. Her interview with Ainsley Earhardt, which aired on Monday, confirmed that Melania is firmly in her “normal First Lady” era. She spoke enthusiastically about her upcoming Amazon documentary, establishing her White House team, redecorating, and expanding her Be Best initiative.
Melania made small dig at the Obamas, saying moving into the White House in 2017 was “challenging” because “the information was upheld for us from previous administrations.”
“But this time, I have everything,” she continued. “I have the plans. I could move in. I already packed. I already selected the, you know, the furniture that needs to go in. So it’s very different transition this time — second time around.”
Melania did not mention that she continued to live in New York for several months after her husband’s 2017 swearing-in. (She ostensibly stayed in New York so her son, Barron, could finish the school year, but renegotiating her prenup may have been a factor.) Nor did she specifically cite recent reports that she would not return to the White House for Trump’s second term — though she seemed to refute that idea.
“Where will you be spending most of your time?” Earhardt asked. “In the White House, Palm Beach, here in New York?”
Melania responded, “I will be in the White House. 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, you know, on January 20, you serve the country.”
Many took this as confirmation that Melania “Plans to Be at White House Full Time,” as a New York Times headline put it. But she didn’t use the term full time, and her answer left some wiggle room. Will Melania “need” to be in New York or Palm Beach every weekend? Or perhaps any time there’s a weekslong stretch with no major White House events? Who knows.
It’s unclear what “full time” even means for a First Family these days. The CNN and New York Post reports that sparked talk of Melania being a “part-time First Lady” back in November claimed that she would still be present for major events and have her own initiatives as First Lady. And as CNN pointed out, neither President Trump nor President Biden like to spend their weekends at the White House:
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.
So how much will Melania really be in the White House over the next four years? Probably far less than previous First Ladies, who did not have the means to jet off to one of their many estates for the weekend — but more than you’d think for a woman who recently inspired a “Where’s Melania?” meme.
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