Melania Trump reportedly will avoid living or entertaining in Washington, D.C., as first lady if her husband, former President Donald Trump, wins the November election.
According to Axios, unlike former President Barack Obama and current the commander in chief, Joe Biden, the Trumps mostly avoided activities in D.C. during the Trump administration.
The outlet noted a "long-running whisper campaign" questioned if the first lady lived at the White House or with her parents in the suburbs after her husband's 2016 White House win.
"So the prospect of her rolling in for a second full-time stint in the East Wing? Doubtful," Axios writer Mimi Montgomery wrote, citing a "handful of Melania-ologists Axios surveyed."
A more likely scenario would be her flying between Palm Beach, Florida, where she's lived over the past four years, and New York City, where son Baron reportedly may attend New York University — coming to the White House only for ceremonies like state dinners or special events, Montgomery wrote.
"Melania does what Melania wants," according to Mary Jordan, a Washington Post associate editor and author of a book about the former first lady told Axios, adding the stance makes her "stand out in history from any other first lady… . Her view is unelected, not paid."
Since leaving the East Wing in 2021, there's been few public sightings of the former first lady.
"She's distancing herself even more from her husband and from the Washington social political scene," Kate Anderson Brewer, an author of books about the White House and first ladies, told Axios. "I mean, she clearly hated being in Washington."
According to Axios, no matter where Melania lives, if her husband wins in November, she'll likely revisit her Be Best campaign.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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