As Donald Trump stood before a raucous crowd of supporters Tuesday night, basking in his resounding election victory and thanking his family and campaign staff, one of his tributes made eyebrows move.
“I also want to thank my beautiful wife, Melania,” he crooned. ‘That has the number one best-selling book in the country. Can you believe that?’
As the MAGA masses erupted in cheers, the ever-poised Melania, dressed in a perfectly tailored Dior skirt suit, flashed a modest smile and waved.
For a moment, she seemed calmer than perhaps at any other time in 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 her how she felt, Melania snapped: “Very good, thank you.”
Melania has been nearly invisible throughout the 2024 race, raising the burning question: What will this reluctant first lady’s second term look like?
For a moment, she seemed calmer than perhaps at any other time in this long election campaign. (Melania is pictured with Barron and Donald on election night 2016.)
His true expression was masked by his trademark oversized sunglasses.
To seasoned Trump watchers, such reticence came as no surprise. After all, Melania has been nearly invisible throughout the entire 2024 race.
Days after Trump was shot in the ear, Melania made a brief appearance at the Republican National Convention in July, entering the family box only after her husband abandoned him. He also avoided attending the televised presidential debates, typically common among candidates’ spouses, and even skipped Trump’s 78th birthday party this summer in West Palm Beach.
At her last large-scale rally, at New York’s Madison Square Garden last month, she spoke for only a few minutes to introduce him to the stage.
Elsewhere, it has hosted just two private political fundraising events. For at least one of them, he received a six-figure personal salary.
This type of payment is unheard of for a first lady. None of his recent predecessors (not Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton or Laura Bush) are believed to have ever been paid for appearances at political functions.
All of which raises the burning question: What willpower What will this reluctant second term of the First Lady be like?
All of which raises the burning question: What will the second term of this most reticent first lady look like? (Melania and Donald are pictured with Barron at the Republican National Convention in 2016.)
For months, rumors have circulated about where Melania will reside if her husband wins again.
Insiders have suggested she will now seek to stay away from the Washington spotlight that seemed to exhaust her during Trump’s first term.
Instead, he seems likely to make occasional visits to the White House, while dividing most of his time between his homes in Florida and New York City, where his only son, Barron, 18, is now in college. .
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 seem to suit Melania’s needs.
After her husband’s victory in 2016, some reports claimed that his wife, a quarter of a century his junior, burst into tears of upset, not joy.
Until that fateful day, he had led a relatively private life. The modeling days of her youth were behind her and she had focused on raising Barron, while dabbling in odd businesses like jewelry lines and skin care products that often failed.
And, in fact, after Trump’s victory in 2016, Melania did not rush into her role as First Lady.
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 circulated about where Melania will reside if her husband wins again. Insiders have suggested she will now seek to stay away from the Washington spotlight that seemed to exhaust her during Trump’s first term.
Certainly, a quieter life away from public service would seem to suit Melania’s needs. After her husband’s victory in 2016, some reports claimed that his wife, a quarter of a century his junior, burst into tears of upset, not joy.
In fact, he stayed in New York for an unprecedented five months before finally moving to the White House. The official explanation was that he wanted Barron, then 10 years old, to complete the school year in the city.
Although some insiders alleged that Melania was using the time away from Trump as a bargaining chip to renegotiate their prenuptial agreement.
Of course, there have long been rumors of lingering resentment over Trump’s alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, which is said to have occurred shortly after Barron’s birth.
That alleged quote once again came into the public consciousness last year, when Trump was charged with fraud related to hush money payments made to Daniels.
Melania was absent during the entire trial that followed, which ended with a conviction for Trump. According to the New York Times, she considered the Daniels scandal “her problem.”
When Melania finally moved into the White House in 2017, she allegedly compared it to a Venezuelan prison while speaking to the wife of a former political prisoner from the country.
Her team later denied the comment, but it did little to diminish the sense that Melania was not entirely enthusiastic about the idea of a life in politics.
Now, with Trump preparing for another term, first lady expert and decorated journalist Kate Andersen Brower says Melania appears to be “further distancing herself from her husband and the Washington sociopolitical scene.”
Meanwhile, Melania’s biographer Mary Jordan claims that Mrs. Trump “has made a deal with her husband that if he wins the presidency (again), she won’t have to fulfill her first lady duties around the clock.” of the day, 7 days a week”.
Barron is now decidedly a grown man and attending New York University, but it seems Melania’s notoriously practical and fiercely protective mother can’t seem to let him go.
It is understood that she feels it is important to stay close to Barron.
This may be something he felt more acutely following the death of his mother in January of this year, at the age of 78.
During Trump’s first term, Melania’s Slovenian parents also moved into a property in DC. Melania was particularly close to them and reportedly spent much of her time at her home with Barron.
It is understood that she feels it is important to stay close to Barron. This may be something he felt more acutely following the death of his mother in January of this year, at the age of 78.
Now, with Trump gearing up for another term, Melania’s biographer Mary Jordan says Mrs. Trump “has made a deal with her husband that if he wins the presidency (again), she won’t have to fulfill her duties.” as first lady 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Melania appears to be “further distancing herself from her husband and the Washington sociopolitical scene.”
During Trump’s first term, Melania’s Slovenian parents, Amalija and Viktor Knavs, also moved into a property in DC. Melania was particularly close to them and reportedly spent much of her time at her home with Barron.
Melania has described Amalija’s death as “deeply sad.” It certainly means that the family support network would no longer be available if she returned to DC.
In her memoir, published last month, Melania wrote about how much she values her privacy.
“I have chosen to maintain a more discreet presence before the public, in stark contrast to Donald,” he wrote. “I have always valued my privacy and have chosen a more selective lifestyle.”
But, publishing 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 recognition was part of the price. for his rare appearance at his side.
And, if the most powerful man in the world continues to publicize his wife’s personal businesses, perhaps Melania will be happy to stay.