Why Melania Trump might not live with husband Donald full-time in the White House if he wins the presidential election, according to friends and allies
- East Wing experts speculate Melania will not move back into the White House
- Say she'll split her time in Palm Beach and NYC if Donald gets another term
- READ MORE: Donald Trump attends son Barron's high school graduation
Melania Trump is unlikely to move into the White House if Donald wins another term in November, analysts say.
Those close to the former first lady believe she will likely split her time between Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City – especially with Barron, 18, tipped to attend New York University.
Melania would instead only travel to Washington, D.C. for ceremonial responsibilities like state dinners and other special events.
The decision not to live with in Washington is an unprecedented move for a first lady and a break in two-and-a-half centuries of tradition.
'She's distancing herself even more from her husband and from the Washington social political scene,' Kate Andersen Brower, who's written several books on first ladies, told Axios.
'I mean, she clearly hated being in Washington.'
East Wing experts speculate that Melania Trump will not move back into the White House full time if husband Donald win another term in November
Melania sightings have remained scarce since the Trumps left the White House in 2021.
She also stayed clear of her husband's hush money trial in Manhattan, not turning up to court for the verdict.
She only emerged publicly some days afterwards with luggage and Barron in tow.
And if Trump does win in November, insiders say she will continue keeping her distance from the East Wing and D.C.
'Melania does what Melania wants.' Washington Post associate editor Mary Jordan, who has written a book about Melania saying, making her 'stand out from other first ladies'.
'Her view is unelected, not paid,' Jordan told Axios.
Melania hasn't avoided public appearances on the 2024 campaign trial so far, only occasionally attending private fund-raising events.
Next month, the former first lady is hosting the conservative LGBT group 'Log Cabin Republicans' for a fundraiser at Trump Tower in New York.
The reports indicate she plans to stay away from D.C. and closer to son Barron, 18, (right) amid talk he might attend New York University
However, Jordan also said that Melania would ensure she has a bigger, better and more qualified staff for her role this time around.
'Now having seen how this works, she would just be wiser and she would be more vocal and more demanding about what the first lady's office should get,' she added.
'Stay tuned,' Melania said last month when asked if Americans could expect to see more of her on the campaign trail soon.
While no other first lady has chosen not to live with her husband in Washington during their presidency, there are two exceptions.
In 1841, Anna Symmes Harrison was unable to move into the White House before her husband, William Henry Harrison, died just a month after being elected president.
Bess Truman also lived across from the White House in Blair House while the president's official residence was gutted and rebuilt between 1948 and 1952.
Melania was unusual in the first Trump presidency, spending more time away from the White House than there.
Instead, she chose to live in the Washington suburbs with her parents.
