Even before the Trumps returned to the White House, the first breach of etiquette occurred on Wednesday. However, not, as might be expected, from Donald Trump, but from his wife Melania. Traditionally, after an American election, the president-elect and the future first lady are invited to the official residence, but Melania vehemently refused the appointment.
Since the 1950s, it has been tradition for the incumbent First Lady to receive her successor for tea, parallel to the meeting of the incumbents in the Oval Office. In this case, Jill Biden should have received Melania Trump. This is primarily a symbolic gesture to achieve a peaceful, democratic transfer of power.
“The Bidens are disgusting”
While Donald Trump denied his successor Joe Biden this visit in 2020, he now followed tradition again and invited Trump to the appointment. And so did his wife: according to Jill Biden’s office, a corresponding invitation was sent last week.
But Melania didn’t come. “Jill Biden is not someone who should meet with Melania,” the New York Post quoted a source close to the future First Lady. “The Bidens are disgusting,” it continues. The reason for the resentment is apparently the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, in which investigators seized hundreds of confidential documents that the former president should not have had.
Allowed to “dig in the underwear drawer”
More than 300 documents – including top secret material on another country’s nuclear weapons – were seized. In searching for it, “Jill Biden’s husband had the FBI rummage through her underwear drawer,” the source continues.
The robbery of her estate in August 2022 made her “angry,” the former first lady said in a Fox interview in late September. It was an “invasion of her privacy” and she saw “unpleasant things that no one wants to see.”
Melania apparently doesn’t want to move to the White House
Melania apparently still has little to do with her husband’s political ambitions. During Trump’s first term, for example, she caused surprise when it took six months for her to move into the White House – and US media sources now quote that Melanie has no plans to move her residence there. CNN reported that it is believed that Melania would prefer to spend her time in New York City, Palm Beach and Florida.
Jill Biden is still helpful
In the current election campaign, Melania ultimately promoted her book more than her husband. She was “often the subject of public criticism and misrepresentations” and therefore wanted to “clarify the facts,” she emphasized. And used the timing of the tea date to organize an event to promote her book.
In any case, outgoing first lady Jill Biden welcomed Donald Trump on Wednesday and presented him with a handwritten letter of congratulations for his wife, the White House announced. She expressed her team’s willingness to support the future first lady as she returns to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
