Melania Trump made a rare public appearance at a Halloween party at husband Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
The former first lady was pictured at the party alongside Trump, in their first public appearance together in seven months. The couple were last seen together having lunch at the Palm Beach property in Florida.
The Trumps strolled through the massive party and congratulated attendees on their spooky season costumes, with the former president overheard saying: "There you go," according to posts on social media.
Melania opted not to wear a Halloween costume, instead choosing a simple, long sleeved, knee-length black dress with a diamond choker, and carrying a royal blue clutch, while the former President wore a suit and a red tie.
They entered the party to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" song and sat at an outdoor table as partygoers cheered them on.
Melania has raised eyebrows for her notable absence from many recent major events, including Trump's court appearances for multiple indictments and his campaign stops. Her whereabouts were even a source of questioning for news anchor Megyn Kelly, who sat with the president in a September interview.
"We haven't seen much of Melania lately, how's she doing?" Kelly asked.
"I think part of the beauty is that mystery," he told Kelly. "She doesn't need to be out there. She has confidence. She has a lot of self-confidence."
Trump added: "She was a very popular first lady. I mean, I go out to rallies, and they have pictures of Melania [and say], 'We love our first lady.' So many posters were there in the audience...We had the biggest rallies we've ever had."
One political analyst and podcast host argued the reason for Melania's absence from the public eye came down one pundit arguing she was tired of political life.
"The reports were that she was angry and she wanted nothing more to do with politics... and nothing more to do with campaigning. She wanted out and wanted to be a private person with her son," Ron Filipkowski, an attorney and former federal prosecutor, said on a Meidas Touch YouTube livestream.
"And I absolutely believe that is the case," he said. "So, I think Trump and Trump's campaign people fully understood, that's going to be a big problem that if she doesn't at least get out there a little bit and show her support, it's going to look really bad."
However, her former aide and ex-White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, explained why Melania didn't spend more time at her husband's side in public.
"She is saying in her mind that this is his issue...He doesn't need me there to prop him up, I am too busy to go with him. That is who she is," she told CNN in August. "She will show up by his side when [she] wants to and when she is perfectly ready."
Trump told the crowd at a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sunday that Melania doesn't like his theatrical style and on-stage dancing because it is not "presidential."
"She says, 'Darling, I love you so much, but this is not presidential when you do the weightlifting, this is not presidential, or when you do the swimming thing, it's not and you know, I understand, or when you dance off the stage,'" he said, while pretending to lift up a barbell.
"She said, 'Darling, I love you, I love you, but this is not presidential! You don't dance off the stage. This is not presidential,'" Trump added. "I said, 'Look. We got a year to go. Everybody loves us. I love everybody. The country's going to hell in a handbasket. Let's do a little dancing."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
