MELANIA Trump has not acknowledged the next first lady Jill Biden and shunned a traditional meeting following Trump’s 2020 defeat, reports say.
Melania has not reached out to her successor while Trump claims the election was rife with voter fraud, despite having no proof, and filed lawsuits in several battleground states clinched by Biden.
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After her husband beat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Michelle Obama had tea with Melania, 50, at the White House and gave her the customary tour of her new Pennsylvania Avenue abode.
But Melania has issued no such invitation to Jill after Biden described Trump’s refusal to concede as an “embarrassment” on Tuesday,
With Trump’s unfounded claims of fraud and Attorney General Bill Barr launching a probe into these unfounded “irregularities,” a smooth transition for the new Flotus isn’t looking likely.
“It’s my understanding that it’s business as usual in the East Wing,” a source with knowledge of Melania’s schedule told CNN.
“I’m not sure it’s fair for anyone to expect them to start transitioning when the President has not yet conceded.
“If the President concedes, I’m sure the East Wing will be gracious and professional to the incoming administration, that’s just how they work.”
Likewise, Laura Bush’s former chief of staff Anita McBride noted that although Melania has had a difference of opinion with her husband in the past, this is “more complicated.”
“Her reaching out before he has conceded could be seen as going completely against what the President and the administration are doing,” McBride told the publication.
However, top aides who have previously served the wives of US presidents noted that even the most gracious of transitions is a ‘”daunting task” for both the departing and incoming first lady, as well as their staff.
While a friendly transition seems unlikely, Melania accompanied Trump during his first public appearance since the election result todays after being holed up in the White House for six days.
The couple participated in a National Veterans Day Observance at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Wednesday.
While Trump and Melania paid their respects alongside Ivanka Trump and Mike Pence, the Bidens attended a service at the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn’s Landing on Veterans Day.
Melania and Trump’s children have been vocally supportive of Trump’s unfounded claims of a “phony” president elect and a “rigged” election on Twitter.
“The American people deserve fair elections,” she wrote on November 8, a day after media outlets called Biden’s victory in key states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada.
“Every legal – not illegal – vote should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency.”
While her husband is reportedly planning rallies to galvanize his base and refusing to attend Biden’s inauguration, MAGA supporters and Proud Boys are also planning to march on Washington DC on Saturday.
Numerous groups and accounts have promoted the event scheduled for November 14.
These posts have appeared on Facebook, Twitter and conservative favored social network Parler in the last 72 hours.
Washington DC‘s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to The Sun Online it is aware of the plan and is continuing to “monitor, assess and plan accordingly”.
The march comes as tensions are running high as Trump has repeatedly doubled down on election rigging allegations, leading to the cry of “stop the steal” by his supporters.
Once Trump concedes, Joe and Jill will move into the White House, where Melania insisted on having a total decor overhaul after Barack Obama‘s family lived there.
