Melania Trump, Who Previously Broke a FLOTUS Tradition, is Expected to Break Another One

Though Melania Trump is a stark contrast to her husband Donald Trump, she too has broken White House traditions. The former First Lady, who is set to become FLOTUS again, is expected to break one more rule. After Trump takes over the Oval Office in January 2025, the Slovenian-American is "unlikely" to permanently move to Washington D.C. with Trump. 

Discussions are still ongoing about where Melania will reside, but multiple sources told CNN, "[She's] unlikely to move to Washington full time in her second go-round as First Lady." However, she won't be entirely absent, as she will still attend key events like state dinners, fulfilling her "platform and priorities as First Lady."

So, where will Melania be living? The answer didn’t come from the upcoming FLOTUS herself. However, insiders told Axios in June that her likely residence would either be their Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago, or Manhattan, where her only son Barron Trump is studying at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Whatever her living situation would be, she'd be breaking tradition.

However, it isn't the first for her. In a recent episode, the former model declined current FLOTUS Jill Biden's invite to the White House. It is a tradition that the current president extends an invitation to his successor and engages in the peaceful transition of power. Though Trump showed up, Melania snubbed the request citing prior commitments. Her office made an official statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying, "Mrs. Trump will not be attending today's meeting at the White House." 

In addition, she broke another tradition by not inviting Jill to the White House family quarters in 2020 for the "tea and tour' session. After Trump lost the election to Biden, the former First Couple flew to Florida, the same day Biden had to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. The tradition Melania broke dates back nearly 100 years, beginning with First Ladies like Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower. At the time, Jill's spokesman Michael LaRosa confirmed, "We have not heard from the First Lady's office." Meanwhile, Biden's daughter Ashley echoed, "No, I don't think they're doing the traditional protocol, which is unfortunate, "adding, "But I think we're all OK with it." 

Back then, Melania had little experience or understanding of the protocols. By 2024, however, she will be far from an amateur. And she recognized that during a friendly exchange with Fox News while promoting her memoir Melania, saying, "I'm not anxious because this time is different. I have much more experience and much more knowledge. I was in the White House before. When you go in, you know exactly what to expect."  Trump will be joining the Oval Office after he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. The presidential inauguration is always held on January 20 as specified by the Constitution's 20th Amendment.