Melania Trump will not join Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, despite receiving an invitation from President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden to attend.
Traditionally, when the outgoing president hosts the incoming president-elect in the Oval Office, the first lady hosts her successor for tea in the residence.
Michelle Obama hosted Melania Trump for tea in the Yellow Room after the 2016 election. However, Melania Trump did not meet with Jill Biden after the contentious 2020 race as Donald Trump falsely and repeatedly claimed he was the true winner.
Melania and Jill have yet to speak in the aftermath of Kamala Harris’ humiliating defeat, even though their husbands had a cordial phone call, sources confirm.
‘Mrs. Trump is not going, and they have not spoken,’ a source with knowledge said of the first ladies told DailyMail.com of Wednesday’s presidential sitdown.
The last time Jill Biden and Melania Trump would have seen each other would have been at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral in November of last year. All living former first ladies attended.
There have been numerous reports Melania Trump intends to be a part time first lady for her second term and may not even live full time at the White House. She has yet to announce an agenda or any staff hires.
Four years ago, Donald Trump snubbed Joe Biden after Biden defeated him, refusing to invite him for the traditional Oval Office meeting and delaying the transition process. Melania Trump followed her husband’s lead and didn’t reach out to Jill Biden.
The Bidens, however, have promised a peaceful and orderly transition to the upcoming Trump Administration.
‘The Bidens extended congratulations and a joint invite to the Trumps to meet at the White House,’ Jill Biden’s office said.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden will meet Wednesday in the Oval Office.
The Bidens will attend Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, according to the White House.
Traditionally, the outgoing president welcomes the incoming one to the White House on the morning of the inauguration before riding together in the same vehicle to the Capitol building for the swearing in.
Trump rode with then-President Barack Obama to his own inauguration. Biden attended that inauguration in his role as outgoing vice president.
But, in 2020, Trump became the first president to skip his predecessor’s swearing-in so since Andrew Johnson skipped the 1869 swearing-in of Ulysses S. Grant.
Biden simply went to the Capitol from the hotel where he was staying and didn’t go to the White House until he had taken the oath of office.
Donald and Melania Trump left the White House about 10 am the morning of Biden’s Inauguration Day.
They have not been back since.
Melania Trump is working on a transition and showing some signs of building up an East Wing office.
John Rogers, a top executive with Goldman Sachs and member of the White House Historical Association board, will help Melania Trump staff up the East Wing, Semafor reported.
Rogers helped Melania with staffing issues during the first Trump term. He has been involved in Republican politics going back to Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
But it still unclear how active she’ll be or where she’ll live.
Currently the incoming first lady resides in New York City, as son Barron attends New York University. Her memoir, Melania, is a New York Times bestseller.
She was not deeply involved with the campaign. She attended the Republican National Convention but didn’t speak. She did not attend any of the presidential debates.
She did speak at one Trump campaign rally – the one he held in October in Madison Square Garden.
Her absence during Donald Trump’s many legal cases was notable.
During the first Trump administration, Melania delayed her move to Washington D.C. to allow Barron to finish his school year.
She was not a heavily involved first lady given her son was still in grade school.
