Melania Trump, enigmatic first lady who might do it differently this time
ReutersA day after her husband’s big election night win, Melania Trump took to social media to address the nation.
“The majority of Americans have entrusted us with this important responsibility,” Mrs Trump said.
“We will safeguard the heart of the republic – freedom,” she vowed, and urged Americans to rise above ideology for the sake of the country.
It was a brief message, but suggested a shift in how the former first lady will approach the role this second time around.
When Trump won his first presidency in 2016, his wife was initially absent from the White House, instead staying in New York with their young son. She appeared reticent, at times, with the traditions set out by first ladies that preceded her.
But experts say that this time, Mrs Trump will likely be more deliberate with her approach to the largely undefined role of being America’s First Lady.
Born Melanija Knavs, the 54-year-old Slovenian-American former fashion model eventually traded a glamorous life in the gilded walls of Manhattan’s Trump Tower for the confines of political life that came with the Oval Office, during a presidency that was often mired in controversy.
Described by some as an “enigma”, Mrs Trump has preferred to be less public than her predecessors, giving fewer speeches both in the White House and on the campaign trail.
“She’s been unique among modern first ladies,” said Tammy Vigil, an associate professor of communications at Boston University and author of a book on Michelle Obama and Melania Trump.
“She does things the way she wants to do them, as opposed to the way she has to do them. But she fulfils the base expectations.”
In recent years, she avoided the spotlight as her husband challenged several legal cases against him while he campaigned for a second term.
Her absence inspired several news articles this summer asking: “Where is Melania?”
Getty ImagesMrs Trump did appear on key occasions, like when her husband announced in late 2022 that he would be running again.
She also attended the Republican National Convention in July wearing a bright red Christian Dior suit, but did not deliver a speech - another break from tradition.
When she does speak, her words appear carefully chosen, offering hints to her point of view.
At her husband’s Madison Square Garden rally just weeks before Election Day, she delivered short but pointed remarks in line with the Trump campaign's law and order messaging, painting New York City as a “great metropolis” in decline due to rampant crime.
She also spoke after the first assassination attempt on her husband, calling for unity and labelling the perpetrator a “monster”.
In a rare interview on Fox, she later accused his political opponents and the media of “fuelling a toxic atmosphere” that led to the attack.
Mrs Trump declared her pro-choice stance in her recent memoir, putting her at odds with anti-abortion activists within the Republican Party - though the remarks prompted speculation due to their timing, as her husband was struggling to campaign on the issue after the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Mrs Trump wrote about her modelling career, her iration for her husband and their past political disagreements, but chose to keep details of those disputes private.
She has, however, publicly stood by Trump on controversial stances like his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
"I am not the only person who questions the results," she wrote in her book. On the Capitol Riots on 6 January, 2021, she wrote that she "wasn't aware" of what was taking place because she was preoccupied with her duties.
Her former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, wrote in her own memoir that Mrs Trump refused to issue a statement condemning the violence, leading Ms Grisham to resign.
Republicans have won control of both chambers of Congress, yielding Trump limited congressional oversight for at least 2 years.
