Melania Trump is said to have shunned an invitation from Dr Jill Biden for a post-election meeting at the White House later this week, as the feud between the incoming and outgoing first ladies rumbles on.
In recent months, the former first lady has re-entered the political spotlight due to the release of her self-titled memoir Melania.
Though she still avoided joining her husband Donald Trump on the campaign trail, a smiling Melania appeared by the president-elect’s side as he swept to victory on Election Night.
However, despite her seeming willingness to somewhat engage with the world of politics again, sources told CNN that Melania is set to skip the traditional first lady meeting.
The sources said that the snub is due to an upcoming scheduling conflict related to her New York Times bestselling book.
It comes four years after the Trumps declined to invite the Bidens to a similar White House meeting during the transition period between presidents after the GOP candidate decried election interference.
Trump’s team did try to persuade Melania to come to reconsider as they deemed the meeting important, CNN reported. One insider told the network that her decision has not yet been finalized.
Another source gave a different reason for Melania’s predicted absence, claiming that she still holds grievances over the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida in August 2022, as part of the federal classified documents case – which was subsequently dropped in July.
“She ain’t going,” that unnamed source told the New York Post. “Jill Biden’s husband authorized the FBI snooping through her underwear drawer. The Bidens are disgusting. Jill Biden isn’t someone Melania needs to meet.”
A source also told The Daily Mail that “Mrs Trump is not going,” adding that Melania and Jill Biden “have not spoken.”
The Independent has contacted the White House and Trump’s spokespeople for more information.
In line with tradition, Jill had extended the olive branch to Melania last week, inviting the 54-year-old American-Slovenian model to join her at the White House at 11am on Wednesday November 13.
President Joe Biden also invited Trump to the Oval Office in a move symbolic of a “smooth” and “peaceful” transition of government, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Trump accepted and so the meeting will take place on Wednesday, just over a week from when Trump defeated Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 race.
The Bidens’ invitations come after the Trumps refused to follow tradition back in 2020.
Trump did not invite Biden to Washington in 2020 after the Democrat clinched the presidency, and Melania likewise did not reach out to Jill.
The Trumps also refused to attend the inauguration ceremony.
Before then, the decades-long traditions had never been broken with Melania visiting the president’s official residence in 2016, where then-first lady Michelle Obama welcomed her into the Yellow Oval Room for their first meeting.
The pair drank tea and talked about raising children before Melania was taken on a tour of the premises, including the Truman Balcony and the State Floor.
