Melania Trump: what life for the ex-First Lady after the White House?
Unlike her husband, Melania Trump has stayed out of politics since she left the White House in January.
The former first lady has not made any public appearances, and is even laying low at the couple's residence, the Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to a CNN report on Wednesday.
"She's not a presence at Mar-a-Lago at all," a source close to the former first family told CNN. "She's not mingling with people and rarely interacts with her husband's staff."
Instead, Trump fills her days with regular visits to the on-site spa, occasionally getting treatments twice a day, a source told CNN. She also spends her time with the couple's 15-year-old son, Barron, as well as with her parents, who sometimes spend weeks at the resort in their own personal suite.
Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, has kept up his appearances, hosting lavish dinners and fundraisers for Republican groups and allies at his club.
Sources close to the family told CNN that Melania seems "happy and relaxed" when they do see her at dinner, and smiles and waves to guests as she arrives at the dining area with Trump.
The change of pace for the former first lady has been a long time coming. As CNN reported in December, Melania had grown eager to leave the White House and was privately planning her future. "She just wants to go home," a source familiar with her thinking told CNN at the time.
The outlet also reported in January that Melania was looking for office space in Florida to continue the "Be Best" initiative she launched in 2018, a campaign focused on children's wellbeing and cyberbullying.
Melania has set up her own office at the club, but little has come out of it so far, besides an embellished logo that resembles a presidential seal, CNN reported. She also has not yet announced plans for a memoir, a typical move for first ladies once they exit the White House.
