Melania Trump Walked Around White House In Hotel-Style Bathrobes, Wanted To Go Home: Report
Melania Trump reportedly was ready to go home and wore hotel-style bathrobes in the White House during her final days as first lady.
A New York Times piece comparing Donald Trump's wife and Dr. Jill Biden's respective tenures as first lady shed light on Melania's alleged demeanor and actions during the transition period after her husband lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
As the Trumps' Jan. 20, 2021 departure approached, Melania reportedly had taken to walking around the White House in hotel-style terry cloth robes and spending her time organizing her mementos and gifts from her time as first lady.
A spokesperson for Melania dismissed the accounts of her final days as first lady as "misinformation," according to the Times.
During the transition period, Melania was reportedly eager to leave the Executive Residence and go home, having been described by unnamed former aides as "checked out and exhausted."
Melania was focused on creating photo albums showcasing the aesthetic changes she made at the White House while serving as the first lady, according to the publication.
"All she cared about was those photo albums," Stephanie Grisham, Melania's former press secretary, was quoted as saying by the Times.
Additionally, the outgoing first lady reportedly directed aides to set up her post-White House office in Palm Beach, Florida, and helped her son, Barron, adjust to the transition.
In the days leading up to the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, Melania focused on cataloging the contents of an office aides referred to as her "swag room," which contained key chains, crystal bookends and other mementos from her time in the White House, as well as preparing small gifts to distribute to friends and allies of the Trump family.
On the day of the attack, Grisham claimed that she attempted to persuade Melania to denounce the violence, but the then-first lady was preoccupied with choosing a rug for the White House residence and having a photographer take photos of it for her albums.
CNN previously reported that Melania was ready to leave the White House by December 2020, with an unnamed source close to the former model telling the outlet: "She just wants to go home."
At the time, the source suggested that a 2024 bid by her husband "might not go over well" with Melania.
Since leaving the White House, Melania has maintained a low profile, making few public appearances and staying out of politics.
While she attended the launch of Trump's reelection bid in November 2022, she has not been present at subsequent campaign events.
Despite this, she expressed support for her husband's reelection campaign and said it would be a "privilege" to serve as first lady for the second time.
"My husband achieved tremendous success in his first administration, and he can lead us toward greatness and prosperity once again," Melania told Fox News Digital in May 2023.
