Melania Trump put on a show of unity with her husband Tuesday night when she joined him and the rest of her family on stage in Florida to celebrate his stunning victory in the presidential election.
But as Donald Trump prepares to return to power in Washington, D.C., people close to her, as well as Melania “observers,” say that Americans shouldn’t expect her to follow him in living full-time in the White House.
After all, the newly anointed New York Times best-selling author was largely absent from Trump’s campaign, and it’s well-known that she didn’t enjoy aspects of living in Washington, D.C., and dealing with its social/political scene.
“She clearly hated being in Washington,” Kate Andersen Brower, an author of several books about the White House, told Axios in June.
“If Melania becomes first lady again, of course people expect her to move into the White House and perform appropriate duties,” a social source close to the Trumps told People on Monday. “Melania knows what to do, yet has a mind of her own.”
The People magazine source said Melania would probably maintain “a private living apartment” in the White House and stay there when carrying out required ceremonial duties, such as state dinners, the Daily Beast also said.
During Trump’s first term as president, it also was widely reported that the first couple occupied separate bedrooms. But, unlike the past, the White House won’t become her main residence. “Not likely,” said the source.
More likely, she’ll divide her time between Trump Tower in New York City and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. In fact, she’ll likely spend most of her time in New York City because her son, Barron, is a freshman at New York University and lives in Trump Tower. She said to Fox News in September: “I could not say I’m an empty nester.”
“As much as Melania loves Mar-a-Lago and her life in Palm Beach, she will spend more time in New York with her son, who is more important to her than anything else,” the People source said.
