After months of conspicuous absence from public life, former First Lady Melania Trump made a rare appearance at the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
In a break with longstanding precedent among former first ladies and the wives of presidential hopefuls, Melania did not address the convention — as she did in 2016 and 2020 (the 2020 speech was made from the White House as Covid-19 prevented an in-person convention). She did stride through the arena in Milwaukee, though, getting a few minutes of screen time as classical music played.
Kid Rock performed an abrasive “Fight! Fight!” song shortly after Melania took her seat in the former president’s box. Trump and Melania were photographed together backstage earlier in the night.
Her appearance comes days after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The former president continued sporting a bandage on Thursday, covering the wound where the would-be assassin’s bullet grazed his right ear.
In response to the shooting, Melania issued a rare public statement. “When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change.” she wrote. “Let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.”
During his speech, Trump commended Melania for her “beautiful” letter to America. “Some very serious people said we should take that letter and put it as part of the Republican platform. That would be an honor,” he added.
The former first lady has largely disengaged from her husband’s political life since leaving the White House. Melania has not made an appearance alongside her husband at a political event since April. The last time she attended anything resembling a campaign rally was in November 2022, when the former president formally announced his bid for reelection.
Melania was notably absent throughout Trump’s hush-money trial and conviction, which took place between April and May, despite the parade of other family members and political figures who descended upon the Manhattan courthouse to show solidarity with the former president.
Several other Trump family members delivered speeches at the convention, including Donald Trump Jr., Don Jr.’s long-term fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle and his daughter Kai Trump, Eric Trump, Eric’s wife and RNC Chairwoman Lara Trump. Vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance’s wife Usha spoke ahead of him on Wednesday night.
While some members of the Trump family may have designs on creating a political dynasty political dynasty, it seems clear that — like large swaths of the country — the former first lady has little interest in participating in a second Trump presidency.
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