Washington DC - First Lady Melania Trump is again opting out of joining her husband President Donald Trump for an upcoming key political event.
A White House official recently told The Washington Examiner that Melania will not be attending the president's two-day televised midterm convention event in Dallas next week.
Her absence is a huge blow to the president, who is desperately trying to boost support for Republicans ahead of November.
When Trump first entered politics in 2016, Melania was memorably always by his side, enthusiastically advocating for his presidential ambitions.
But throughout his terms as president, she has dramatically stepped out of the public spotlight, garnering heavy speculation about the state of their marriage.
Melania was notably missing following the January 6 Capitol riots in 2020, and while her husband ran for president in 2024, he faced a criminal trial regarding alleged hush money payments he made to cover up an affair with a porn star.
Though she reappeared toward the end of the 2024 race to promote her memoir, Melania made the unprecedented decision not to stay with her husband at the White House after he won, and since has notably opted out of attending most events or publicly supporting his MAGA agenda.
It also comes after wild reports surfaced about Trump's close relationship with his aide Natalie Harp, who allegedly pens him intimate letters.
Last month, Melania attended a Rose Garden event after being missing for a month following the Harp stories, during which she joked, "I heard you missed me. Here I am."
A former Trump administration aide has suggested that Melania and her husband are no longer together, and that she gets paid to make public appearances.