Melania Trump refuses to say if she will campaign for husband
Melania Trump has refused to say whether she will campaign for her husband in the November 2024 election.
“Stay tuned,” she told reporters on Tuesday after she was asked if she would return to the campaign trail with her husband, Donald Trump.
The Trumps had just exited a polling location together in Palm Beach, Florida, where the one-term president voted for himself in the Republican primary.
“That’s the answer she gives when she doesn’t want to commit to anything,” Ms Trump’s former communications director Stephanie Grisham told the New York Times.
Multiple reports have said that she has rejected multiple requests to appear alongside her husband at both his 2024 campaign stops and court hearings for his multiple criminal and civil cases.
She was not among the family members on stage with Mr Trump as he delivered victory speeches in early primary states or on Super Tuesday.
The New York Times reported in July 2023 that since leaving the White House, Ms Trump has opted to focus on helping her and Donald’s 17-year-old son, Barron Trump, search for and apply to colleges.
Her absence from public life has previously caught the attention of some of Mr Trump’s rivals, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis being accused of spreading “Missing Melania” flyers at an Iowa football game he attended in September 2023.
“Have you seen this woman? Where is our First Lady? Why is Donald Trump hiding her? We miss her. Please call 561-832-2600 if found,” the flyer stated.
The former president addressed his wife’s absence during a town hall with Fox News host Laura Ingraham last month, calling her a “private person” who is focused on their family.
“You know, a lot of first ladies would go out — they want to be everywhere. They get angry at their husband because he’s not introducing them,” Mr Trump said. “If I didn’t introduce Melania, she’d be very happy about it. She’s just a different kind of a person.”
