Washington
CNN
—
Melania Trump is not expected to attend the traditional White House meeting with first lady Jill Biden, sources familiar with her plans said.
It’s a decision that underscores Melania Trump’s long-held willingness to buck tradition as she prepares to retake the high-profile – but unelected – role of first lady, one with no manual and an automatic global platform.
The sources cited a prior scheduling conflict for the former first lady related to her newly released memoir. One source said the decision had not been finalized. The Daily Mail was first to report on the former first lady’s expected absence.
Jill Biden extended Melania Trump the customary invitation last week as her husband also invited the president-elect to the Oval Office, a symbolic gesture to show the country and the world that there will be a peaceful transition of power – and an implicit rebuke of Donald Trump, who refused Joe Biden the same meeting in 2020 as he contested that election’s results. The two are set to meet Wednesday at 11 a.m., according to the White House.
There was discussion about encouraging Melania Trump to come to Washington for the meeting, as some members of the president-elect’s team felt it was important. But the incoming first lady, who spent her first four years in office redefining the role and what was expected, is laying an early marker indicating she will have even more autonomy the second time around.
Aside from 2020, it has been tradition for the current first lady to host the incoming first lady at the White House. In 2016, then-first lady Michelle Obama hosted Melania Trump for tea in the White House’s Yellow Oval Room and took her on a tour of the private residence.
CNN has reached out to the East Wing for comment.
This story has been updated with additional information.
