Once again, the former First Lady was nowhere to be seen.
Just about everyone can agree that last night’s debate was a mess. President Joe Biden could barely string together a sentence while former president Donald Trump just told straight-up lies for most of his allotted speaking time. At least one person was spared from the shitshow: Melania Trump.
The former First Lady was nowhere to be seen last night, as her husband steamrolled over questions and President Biden. Her absence wasn’t a huge surprise, as CNN confirmed beforehand that she wouldn’t be attending. Honestly, why would you if you didn’t have to? Melania does not have the same job on her husband’s campaign as, say, Dr. Jill Biden, who came out at the end of the debate to greet her husband (and, in a clip that’s going viral among conservatives, help him off the stage). She also appeared at the Biden after-party to serve as her husband’s hypewoman. Melania, meanwhile, was probably chilling in Florida.
Melania has stayed almost completely out of the public eye during her husband’s latest campaign. She was not by his side when he kicked off his campaign in Iowa, she kept her distance from the entire Stormy Daniels trial, and she hasn’t been seen at any recent campaign rallies. One of the last times she was spotted with her husband was at their son Barron’s high-school graduation back in May. She seems, shall we say, over it.
In fact, she might be so over it that we see an entirely new arrangement should Trump win in November. Axios reached out to a few Melania experts, who all seem to agree that a full-time return to D.C. would probably not be in the cards. “Melania does what Melania wants,” said Mary Jordan, the author of a book about Melania. Kate Andersen Brower, a First Lady expert, put it simply: “I mean, she clearly hated being in Washington.”
With Barron heading off to college (possibly at NYU), not much would be tethering Melania to the White House. I guess her husband would be living there, but those two don’t seem like their love language is quality time.
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