Incoming First Lady Melania Trump will not attend the customary White House meeting with First Lady Jill Biden, CNN reported quoting sources. The traditional meeting, which usually marks the beginning of a peaceful transition between the outgoing and incoming first families, will take place without Melania, who reportedly has a scheduling conflict related to the promotion of her newly released memoir.
A source close to the situation told CNN that while the decision had not been officially confirmed, Melania Trump would not be participating in the meeting with Jill Biden, scheduled for Wednesday at 11am. Meanwhile, a representative from Jill Biden’s office stated that the Bidens had extended their congratulations to the Trumps, along with an invitation for the traditional White House visit. However, it appears Melania has declined the offer.
This marks a major shift from the usual protocol, which has seen outgoing and incoming first ladies meeting to exchange advice and set a tone of collaboration ahead of the new administration. In 2020, a similar meeting between Jill Biden and Melania Trump did not take place, as Donald Trump refused to meet with Joe Biden after his election defeat, citing unfounded claims of election fraud.
This year’s White House meeting is particularly noteworthy as it will be the first time an outgoing president has met with an incoming one since the 1992 transition, when President George HW Bush sat down with President-elect Bill Clinton.
Following the 2016 election, Trump and then-President Barack Obama held a 90-minute discussion in the Oval Office, where Obama expressed his commitment to helping Trump succeed for the sake of the country.
Despite some initial awkwardness, the meeting was described as cordial, with Trump calling Obama “a good man” and expressing respect for him. However, this brief moment of cooperation quickly gave way to Trump’s contentious presidency, marked by baseless claims of wiretapping and accusations against Obama.