Melania Trump was seen at a VIP fundraiser for the Republican Party in Mar-a-lago last week, according to a recent report by the Mercury News. Other than that, sources say she has been increasingly hard to find. In fact, these same sources claim that ever since her husband became the newly elected President of the United States, Mrs. Trump has not only adamantly refused to move to the White House- she's lived as a practical recluse in her high-rise Manhattan triplex. In fact, the Washington Post has observed her to be a "virtual shut in," only leaving her abode briefly, if at all.
Melania Trump has been considerably less active than former First Lady Michelle Obama
Melania Trump's seemingly withdrawn presence has extended to her formal duties as First Lady as well, reports claim. While former First Lady Michelle Obama moved quite briskly in opening the White House to guests, Melania Trump has been rather lethargic- she only recently hired a chief of staff in February, and it took her until late March to bring communications director Stephanie Grisham on board. However, several sources do state the Trump's have a much busier month ahead of them. Melania Trump has already made an appearance at the International Women of Courage Awards, and the couple recently announced that they'll be hosting the 139th annual White House Easter Egg Roll in mid-April.
Social media analysts confirmed that the First Lady's official account has also been devoid of the amount of activity that would almost be expected of someone in her new position. Although her posting frequency has picked up recently, there was a noticeable gap in her social media presence between March 8th and the 28th- a period of almost three weeks.
This, according to sources, seems a bit uncommon for an account that boasts more than seven million followers.
Americans have differing opinions about Melania Trump's behavior
Her behavior has divided the general population into roughly three camps, as described by Mercury News. On one hand, many feminists strongly support her decision to refuse the "traditional First Lady role" and live her life the way she wants to.
Others feel Trump's wife of 12 years is "enabling" him by staying out of the limelight and tolerating his sexist and anti-immigrant stances. Still others feel the First Lady is just another member of the Trump family attempting to exploit her new position for "personal gain."
Taxpayers are growing restless
Adding to these mixed feelings is the fact that American taxpayers are shelling out almost $500,000 a day to keep Melania Trump housed in New York city. In fact, Mercury News reports that a recent petition that she either move to the White House or finance her own security has garnered almost 100,000 signatures since its inception.
No matter the particular response to the First Lady's unusual reticence, it is very clear that Melania Trump's relative absence has not gone unnoticed.
