 "After being nearly a month away from Washington, First Lady Melania Trump made her return to the White House on Saturday, stepping back into the spotlight for the annual dinner with the nation’s governors. AFP")
After being nearly a month away from Washington, First Lady Melania Trump made her return to the White House on Saturday, stepping back into the spotlight for the annual dinner with the nation’s governors.
Dressed in a sleek, business-style tuxedo, she walked into the candlelit East Room, smiling beside her husband, President Donald Trump, as Hail to the Chief played in the background.
But for four weeks, her absence had fuelled speculations, with whispers ranging from her taking a step back from public life to quietly retreating from First Lady duties altogether. Some joked that she had “ghosted” the East Wing. But, true to form, Melania reappeared just in time for the evening’s most glamorous moment—an opulent dinner surrounded by overflowing white hydrangeas and tulips.
“She worked very hard on making sure that everything was beautiful. And she’s very good at that…Thank you for doing such a great job, honey. Really great. Really beautiful,” said President Trump, acknowledging his wife’s grand comeback.
But where had she been all this time, and is this a sign of a new, more reserved Melania Trump? Here’s what we know.
Major missing Melania
Since Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, Melania has made only fleeting appearances in Washington. Her last public outing was on January 24, when she joined her husband on visits to disaster-stricken areas in North Carolina and California. After that, she disappeared from the political scene entirely.
She has also remained mostly silent on social media. Her last post on X was a tribute to the victims of a helicopter and passenger plane crash in Washington, DC, on January 29. Over on Instagram, her official FLOTUS account is nearly bare, with just a single post—her striking White House portrait .
While Trump has been spending his weekends in Florida, meeting dignitaries and political allies, Melania has been absent from several high-profile White House events. She missed key meetings with world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and India’s Narendra Modi.
She was also nowhere to be seen at major moments, including the signing of key executive orders, the return of wrongfully detained American Marc Fogel from Russia, and Trump’s first legislative victory—the signing of the Laken Riley Act , among other key accomplishments he has touted.
Where has Melania been?
The First Lady’s office has remained tight-lipped about her recent whereabouts, but reports suggest Melania Trump has been dividing her time between New York—where her son Barron is attending college—and Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
In a January interview with Fox News, she insisted, “I will be in the White House. And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach.”
Despite staying out of the public eye, sources say Melania still holds sway in Trump’s inner circle. She remains a constant voice in the president’s ear, offering advice from a distance, but with zero interest in playing an active political role, CNN reported.
Many observers say Melania did not enjoy her time at the White House earlier. As per reports, she and her husband occupied separate bedrooms during Trump’s four years as US president from 2017 to 2021.
In fact, she joined Trump at the White House five months later. The official reasoning for the delay was that Melania wanted her son Barron, who was 10 years old at the time, to finish his school year in New York.
However, Kate Andersen Brower, an author of several books about the White House told Axios in June, “She clearly hated being in Washington.”
Melania 2.0: More invisible than ever?
Unlike her predecessors, Melania has never been one for press conferences, major policy speeches, or solo diplomatic tours. In Trump’s first term, she hosted world leaders, attended joint press conferences, and was actively involved in state events. This time around, it seems she prefers to operate behind the scenes, occasionally appearing for carefully curated events.
Regine Mahaux, a longtime favourite photographer of the Trump family who captured both of the first lady’s 2017 and 2025 official portraits, told Hello! that Melania Trump is “more free.”
“She’s always been hands on, but she’s more free nowadays to make a statement,” Mahaux said. “She’s a different person than she was eight years ago and has always been true to herself. This time, it feels like a different energy with new people that the President has surrounded himself with.”
But Melania’s retreat from the spotlight may not be solely about avoiding Washington’s political drama. In November 2024, Amazon reportedly signed a multimillion-dollar licensing deal with the Trumps to produce a documentary about her time as First Lady.
Brett Ratner, the film’s director, was spotted aboard Air Force One on January 24, capturing footage of Melania and Trump surveying the damage from Hurricane Helene and California’s wildfires. However, while Trump continued to Las Vegas for a policy event, Melania and her team opted to head to Florida instead.
In her memoir, released last year, the first lady emphasised her preference for a private life. “I have chosen to maintain a more discreet presence in the public eye, in stark contrast to Donald. I have always prized my privacy and opted for a more selective lifestyle,” she wrote.
With input from agencies