Melania Has Been Missing From White House So Often That President Trump’s Taken On Traditional First Lady Duties: NYT

Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Melania Trump has been a fleeting presence at the White House during the first few months of her husband’s second term — a new report reveals.

According to The New York Times, Mrs. Trump has spent fewer than 14 days at the White House out of President Donald Trump’s first 108 days back in office. Times writer Shawn McCreesh notes, through his sources, that even the 14-day total amounts to a “generous estimate.”

And because Melania Trump has been such an infrequent presence at the White House, duties that have traditionally been performed by the First Lady have instead been taken on by President Trump himself. From the report:

“At the White House this time around, Mr. Trump has taken to performing some duties that typically would fall to a first lady. She’s not the one carefully selecting light fixtures for the White House residence, redesigning the Rose Garden, greeting tour groups in the East Wing or hosting receptions for Women’s History Month. He is.”

The first lady signaled — prior to the inauguration — that her White House presence would be minimal. In an interview with Fox News on Jan. 13, Mrs. Trump told Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt that she planned to split her time between Washington, New York, and south Florida.

“I will be in the White House,” Mrs. Trump said. “And you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York; when I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach.”

Despite her infrequent appearances, the first lady has clashed with the president over White House decor. According to McCreesh, Mrs. Trump objected to her husband’s plan to pave over a portion of the Rose Garden which she had restored during the first Trump term. However, she received assurances that the rose bushes themselves would be undisturbed.