US Politics
Melania announces mystery new initiative and Trump admits he has no idea what she’s talking about
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First lady Melania Trump joined her husband, President Donald Trump, at the White House Congressional Ball on Thursday evening and hinted at an upcoming initiative the commander-in-chief appeared to know nothing about.
Taking to the podium to address their guests at the annual holiday party, Melania thanked House Speaker Mike Johnson for helping to pass the Take It Down Act in April this year, an offshoot of her “Be Best” anti-bullying program that criminalizes the distribution of “deepfake” images and revenge porn.
The first lady then left her spouse completely stumped when she said, “I hope you will be excited to support my new legislative initiative in 2026. Some of you already know about it because it’s already in the works.”
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Replacing her at the Golden Eagle lectern, Trump said, “Well, I just heard about that for the first time. The only thing I can tell you – I know one thing for sure, Mr Speaker. It’s going to be great for children, OK?
“I don’t know what it is she’s doing, but I know it’s going to be great for children, because she loves children, and… she’s got a wonderful boy, and she’s very proud of her boy,” Trump continued, referring to their 19-year-old son, Barron Trump, currently studying at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
The president himself attracted attention at the event for again appearing with concealer smeared across his right hand and by making a surprising call for Republicans and Democrats to work together to “make our country stronger.”
The Office of the First Lady has not yet revealed any details publicly about the initiative to which Melania alluded. The Independent has reached out to the White House for more information.
One project she definitely has upcoming is the $40 million Amazon documentary Melania, directed by Brett Ratner, who helmed the Rush Hour franchise (which the president recently expressed interest in seeing revived) but was effectively exiled from Hollywood after being accused of sexual assault by a number of well-known actresses.
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The new film follows Melania in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration in Washington in January, which will receive a cinema release early next year.
While the first lady has remained a relatively remote figure so far in her husband’s second term, she has revived public tours of the White House and hosted events like the Easter Egg Roll, Congressional Picnic, and traveled with the president to survey the damage caused by flooding in central Texas in July and to the U.K. in September.
More recently, she has taken part in Halloween and Christmas duties and toured a North Carolina military high school with second lady Usha Vance.
She has also been credited with guiding her husband’s thinking over the Ukraine war, writing a personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin appealing for compassion, which Trump handed to him at their summit in Alaska in August, and attempting to open a backchannel to the Kremlin for dialogue on the release of children abducted during the conflict.
Melania has not been afraid to speak her mind behind the scenes, either, and reportedly took exception to Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House to make way for his $300 million ballroom. However, the president has since claimed she has come around to the idea.
