Melania’s new strategy grips DC as she breaks from Jill and Michelle after brutal betrayals

Melania Trump chooses to speak rarely – but when she does, the world listens.

This was made clear earlier this month when the First Lady played a central role in Donald Trump‘s peace talks with Vladimir Putin.

Although Melania did not join Donald in Alaska, her presence was deeply felt in the form of a letter that was delivered to Vladimir Putin by her husband.

Melania, mother to Donald’s youngest son Barron, urged the Russian president to ‘singlehandedly restore’ the ‘melodic laughter’ of the children caught in the conflict and end the war in Ukraine.

Raised on the fault line of East and West, the Slovenian-American knows first-hand the brutality inflicted by Russia on Eastern Europe. Her letter made headlines around the world. 

The intervention was also notable as one of the few political statements from the First Lady, who has kept a low profile in Washington, DC. The 55-year-old has made just 19 public appearances so far this term – compared to 40 at this point in Trump’s first.

Vicious gossip has followed in the wake of her absence, with spurious claims about the state of her marriage to the vigorous 79-year-old president.

‘I think that a lot of people underestimate how normal of a couple they are. He listens to her and seeks her counsel,’ said one insider. ‘She only wades in when she really will go to the paint on something – and she really cares about kids.’

Trump earlier this year made offhand comments about how his wife was influencing his approach to brokering peace in Ukraine.

‘I tell the first lady, ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today — we had a wonderful conversation.’ She said, ‘Oh, really? Another city was just hit,’ Trump said in July at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office. 

While the remarks were light-hearted, they provided a fascinating glimpse into the couple’s private life.

Melania has put caring for children at the top of her agenda – and it is not just the victims in Ukraine that have caught her attention.

Asked about his wife’s view on the war in Gaza, Trump told reporters last month: ‘She thinks it’s terrible.’ 

‘And she sees the same pictures that you see, that we all see. And I think everybody, unless they’re pretty cold-hearted – or worse than that, nuts – there’s nothing you can say other than it’s terrible when you see the kids.’ 

Melania’s involvement in domestic policy has also been inspired by the same wish to care for children.

She showed up on Capitol Hill in the early days of the administration to advocate for victims of pornographic deep-fakes with her support of The Take It Down Act.

The bipartisan piece of legislation seeks to target the proliferation of revenge porn online.

The First Lady even brought a teenage victim of deep-fake bullying as one of her guests during the president’s joint address to Congress in March.

Fifteen-year-old Elliston Berry from Aledo, Texas, was a victim of the new technology, and Melania Trump gave her a platform to bring awareness to the rise of these attacks using AI image generation.

The Take It Down Act was passed by Congress without any objections in both chambers and then signed into law by the president at the end of May.

Kate Bennett, author of Free, Melania, told CNN: ‘She genuinely does care about tragedy and things that have involved children. I believe in her authenticity when she does participate.’

First Lady Jill Biden addresses cabinet members during a Cabinet meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden inside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, U.S, September 20, 2024

Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a recording of the ‘IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson’ podcast during the 2025 SXSW Conference And Festival at Austin Convention Center on March 13, 2025 in Austin, Texas

But compared to her predecessors, Melania is being much more selective about when she decides to get involved.

‘People expect or anticipate there will be a participation on behalf of the first lady of the United States, no matter who is in the office, no matter what political party,’ Bennett said.

‘It is patently clear that for Melania Trump, at least for now, this has been a pick-and-choose kind of role.’

In contrast, Jill Biden was seen frequently – almost matching her ailing husband Joe in terms of public appearances and was rarely not at his side, particularly in the brutal campaign against Trump.

Jill even made an unusual appearance at one of her husband’s cabinet meetings in September, which started whispers about who was really running the White House.

Michelle Obama’s tenure was also marked by many public outings with Barack.

She often stepped into the spotlight to champion various initiatives, including the push to promote youth physical activity and healthier eating.

Melania has chosen to skip many of the traditional events that her predecessors attended.

‘I don’t think it’s anything interpersonal,’ one source told CNN, adding that ‘she’s not interested’ in the performative aspects of the job. 

Notably, this time around, Melania has kept her staff lean.

As of July 1, the First Lady had just five full-time staffers earning a total of $634,200 per year. Jill Biden had 20 staffers, raking in a total of more than $2.5million.

The disparity may have its roots in the bitter betrayals Melania faced after Trump’s first term.

Stephanie Grisham, who served a short time as White House Press Secretary and didn’t hold a single press briefing while in that role, spent much longer working for Melania.

After January 6th, 2021, Grisham turned on her former employers and aired out Melania’s dirty laundry for the whole world to see in a tell-all book.

After the publication of Grisham’s memoir, Melania Trump’s office told the Washington Post that the book was ‘an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House. Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump.’

Another former top Melania aide, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who was a close friend of the First Lady for 15 years, also shockingly betrayed her trust.

Winston Wolkoff secretly recorded conversations with Melania and then released them for the world to hear.  The leaked segments contained instances of the first lady complaining about White House Christmas decorations and also about the rhetoric around migrant children. The former aide was then sued by the Justice Department for an alleged breach of a non-disclosure agreement. 

After betrayal by former top aides from her husband’s first administration, Melania has kept her inner circle locked in.

From the revival of her Be Best initiative to speaking out on global issues, Melania Trump is undoubtedly charting her own path, not only in Washington, D.C., but also in the history books.

While the full impact of her tenure is still to be determined, her influence on policy, discourse, and even fashion is already turning heads.

With just over 200 days of the second Trump administration under her belt, Melania has already made history with her legislative advocacy, immigrant background, and quiet confidence, which inspires women around the country.