This should come as no surprise, considering how Melania generally acts, but she’s not expected to honor First Lady Jill Biden’s gracious and traditional offer to meet at the White House, according to sources familiar with her plans. They say there’s a prior scheduling conflict connected to the former first lady’s newly released memoir. Ine of the sources said the decision hasn’t been finalized.
Dr. Jill Biden extended the traditional invite to Melania last week, and her husband, President Joe Biden, extended the invite to President-elect Donald Trump to join him inside the Oval Office. This is a symbolic gesture to assure that the transition of power will be peaceful, CNN reports. But it’s also a slap on the wrist to Trump who refused to meet Biden in 2020 because he refused to accept the election results. The White House reports that the two men are scheduled to meet Wednesday at 11 a.m.
It’s anyone’s guess how the meetings will turn out. I think it’s likely to be a no-show. Trump, however, may want to crow about beating Vice President Kamala Harris and take as many underhanded jabs at Biden as possible. Maybe I’ll be wrong and Trump will be gracious, but when, really, has he ever been gracious?
Melania has always been a private person, even while she was first lady the first time around. But there are some members of the president-elect’s team who are encouraging her to join Jill Biden because they see this as important. There are also clear indications that the incoming First Lady is making more efforts to have more autonomy this time.
It has always been a tradition, with 2020 being the exception for the current first lady to meet with the incoming first lady at the White House. Former First Lady Michelle Obama hosted Melania for tea in 2016 in the White House’s Yellow Oval Room and gave her a tour of the private residence.
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden were outstanding first ladies and they acted with grace. But Melania follows the path of a different drum so who really knows what she’ll do? We know she’s a grifter, but even after all this time, she’s really still an enigma.
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