When caught up in all the turmoil generated by the current administration, it’s easy to lose track of what’s not happening and what we don’t see. Right now, what we don’t see a lot is the First Lady of the United States—Melania Trump.

Where is the First Lady?

Where, oh where is Melania? During her husband’s first administration, she was around a lot: trying to walk across the grass in six-inch heels, wearing a jacket with an offensive message on the back, putting blood-red Christmas trees in the White House, standing near the President without actually touching him.

It wasn’t ideal but she was, you know, present,

And now she’s not. Where her predecessors occupied an office in the East Wing and kept their staffs busy, Melania Trump has made herself invisible. In fact, her visibility as First Lady in 2025 is dramatically lower than Jill Biden’s in 2021 or Michelle Obama’s in 2009.

While her predecessors kept active schedules and made numerous public appearances, Melania has made fewer than 14 days of public appearances since January 2025. According to sources cited by The New York Times and other news outlets, she has been present at the White House for fewer than two weeks total—and even that figure is considered a “generous estimate.”

Unpaid but Busy

Now, First Ladies do not receive a salary. Their role is unofficial and unpaid, despite its significant responsibilities and public visibility. They do not hold an elected or appointed position: The First Lady is not a government employee and holds no formal office under the Constitution. Also, no law provides a salary for the First Lady, even though she often performs duties similar to those of a senior advisor, event planner, and public ambassador. In other words, she does the work of several staffers but receives no compensation.

So, I can’t say that Melania is ducking out on her job as, technically, she doesn’t have one. But First Ladies do receive support and benefits tied to their proximity to the presidency.

These perks include

• Residence in the White House
• Personal staff and office space (e.g., the Office of the First Lady)
• Security detail via the Secret Service
• Travel and logistical support for official events.

Sharks at a Seal Convention

Now, if Melania were the spouse of a Democratic President, the right-wing news media would be all over this like sharks at a seal convention. But her husband is a Republican, so the media on both sides are politely ignoring how seldom the First Lady makes an appearance anywhere. Fox News does not, of course, want to draw attention to it while ABC, NBC and CBS are much too polite — or afraid — to mention her absence.

And please don’t tell me that she’s living in New York City so she can raise her son. That was before, in the first administration. Barron Trump currently lives at the White House in Washington, D.C., while continuing his studies at a satellite campus of New York University. Melania has committed to living in the White House while splitting her time between Washington, New York City, and Palm Beach FL, as needed. It’s nice to know she feels needed somewhere.

The First Lady is Out of the Office

We can’t blame Melania for not managing her busy staff from the First Lady’s office in the East Wing because her husband conveniently demolished the whole thing. No replacement space has been announced, and the White House press corps has not asked the inconvenient question of where she does work.

The Demolition

Does anyone know where the First Lady and her staff are supposed to be working?

I can imagine how Melania heaved a sigh of relief when she no longer had to think about that space or the work she was supposed to be doing in it. After all, who wants to spend time in an office formerly occupied by women of accomplishment who took their positions as First Lady of the United States quite seriously.

While each First Lady has had her own style of engagement, they have also used their time in the White House to promote a signature initiative. More on that in the next post.