Melania Trump has made rare appearances amid her husband Donald’s political campaign and recent debate disaster, failing to appear to support him at the event itself. Here’s a timeline of where she’s been
Where is Melania Trump? That’s the question on thousands of Americans’ minds after she failed to show up and support her husband, Donald Trump, at the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday and at the 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero on Wednesday.
The last time the former first lady appeared by her husband’s side was in July at the Republican National Convention — she sat with other members of the Trump family before her husband delivered a speech accepting his party’s nomination. But that was one of the only campaign-related appearances Melania has made in recent months.
She also skipped the first presidential debate that featured a face-off between her husband and current President Joe Biden — which is largely believed to have resulted in Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in his place. His disastrous, lackluster performance left much to be desired among voters, and it led to calls from other top Democrats for him to step down.
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AFP via Getty Images)
The second debate, held on Tuesday, was between him and Harris, who quickly cinched enough votes to become the official Democratic nominee for the presidency. By many accounts, it was considered a disastrous performance by Trump, though Republicans are claiming he demolished Harris, who was able to bait him and rile him up while also speaking clearly and succinctly about policy issues.
Melania, who was one of the people to encourage her husband to run for office in 2016, the year he ultimately defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after garnering more Electoral College votes than her, has largely stepped back from her husband’s affairs — some say to protect her son, Barron, now 18, from the drama that comes with being immersed in the political sphere as others say it’s to avoid the same drama for herself and her reputation, especially after Trump got shot on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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Here’s a look at the times Melania has appeared by her husband’s side in recent months and even years — and the list is a lot shorter than you might think.
July 18
Melania’s last appearance with Trump was at the RNC, where she sat with members of the family but did not speak — which many consider odd, as it’s usually tradition for the spouses of those being nominated at such conventions to speak before their spouse accepts the nomination.
May 17
Barron Trump graduated from high school in Florida on May 17, which came at the height of Trump’s hush money trial proceedings in Manhattan. Judge Juan Merchan granted the former president leave for the event.
Pictures of the former first couple show them sitting together on the bleachers as they proudly watched their son walk the stage and receive his diploma.
April 6
In April, Trump held a fundraiser for his reelection campaign, which raked in a cool $50.5 million, according to the campaign. Melania made no public comments, but she stood with the former president throughout the event.
March 19
Melania addressed the public for the first time in several months in March as she and Trump left a polling place in Palm Beach, Florida, telling reporters to “stay tuned” as Trump returned to the campaign trail after being bogged down by his many criminal and civil trials.
December 15, 2023
At the naturalization ceremony held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., Melania delivered remarks and spoke to 25 immigrants who were just sworn in as U.S. citizens. It came about 17 years after Melania herself went through the same process and received her own citizenship.
The former first lady was notably missing from family Christmas photos weeks later as people speculated where she could be.
November 28, 2023
After former First Lady Rosalynn Carter died, Melania was seen with her husband and several other former presidents and former first ladies, including the Obamas, Bushes and Clintons, to honor Rosalynn’s legacy.
April 11, 2023
Melania’s official office issued a statement stating that news organizations had made assumptions about her “personal, professional and political” stance on lots of subjects she didn’t list or name.
The statement was assumed to relate to her husband’s recent indictment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the infamous hush money trial, which he was allegedly found guilty of.
December 10, 2022
Melania attended two private events near the end of 2022 hosted in California by the Log Cabin Republicans and Fix California, which is a voter engagement organization that paid the former first lady $250,000, the New York Times reported.
November 15, 2022
Trump formally announces his intention to run for president again in 2024, and Melania is at his side as he makes remarks related to that decision at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. She doesn’t give her own speech, however.
July 21, 2022
Melania provided a statement related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which stated she was unaware of what was occurring in D.C. that day and that, had she known about the insurrection, she would have denounced the violence.
May 15, 2022
Melania was interviewed by Fox News and appeared in a segment. She accused the media of being “biased” as she added “never say never” when asked about the possibility of her being first lady once again.
Melania’s upcoming memoir
Melania is slated to publish a memoir soon that will reportedly detail her personal life as she said she feels “a responsibility to clarify the facts.” She said her private life “has often been the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation” and added that the memoir will be addressing the attempt on her husband’s life in July.
It’s not clear whether the memoir will touch on Melania’s noted absences from her husband’s political appearances.