OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A video of former first lady Melania Trump walking with her husband, Donald Trump, has gone viral on social media after months of speculation as to where she might have been.
Melania Trump has noticeably reduced her involvement in her husband’s presidential campaign events, abstaining from public appearances and refraining from commenting on the election — a departure from her more active engagement during the 2016 presidential campaign, Newsweek reported.
Critics have fueled speculation about Melania’s withdrawal from public life, questioning the reasons behind her presumed absence. Concerns heightened when she was noticeably absent from a Trump family Christmas card, which prominently featured her husband, all his children, and her father.
Donald Trump disclosed the reason for his wife’s absence from his New Year’s Eve party, stating during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago residence that she had been with her “very ill” mother, Amalija Knavs, in a Miami hospital. Knavs passed away in January at the age of 78.
On Tuesday, Melania stood next to her husband while the presumptive GOP presidential nominee fielded questions from reporters after casting his vote in the Florida Republican primary.
When asked if she planned to return to the campaign trail on her husband’s behalf, she responded, “Stay tuned.”
Video footage preceding that moment has now gone viral on the X platform. The clip shows the Trumps and their aides walking together ahead of the vote.
Rare sighting of former first lady Melania Trump as she and Donald go vote in the Florida GOP primary. Good to see her! pic.twitter.com/lAsEYDyMUW
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) March 20, 2024
Newsweek added:
Melania Trump has been, on the whole, less visible when compared to spouses of previous presidential candidates, and her approach to her husband’s campaign trail underscores the unconventional nature of Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency.
Unlike past first ladies who have actively campaigned on behalf of their partners, during the 2016 presidential race, Melania Trump chose moments that would maximize impact without exposing herself to the harsher elements of campaign scrutiny. She also didn’t hold a traditional activist role similar to her predecessors during Donald Trump’s four years in the White House.
Melania Trump has kept a similarly low profile during the former president’s 2020 campaign and has not been seen on the 2024 campaign trail so far, although she has attended a few events at Mar-a-Lago.
Melania recently bedazzled a Mar-a-Lago crowd earlier this month while she and her husband hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with one video clip, in particular, going viral.
According to clips posted online, Melania entered the venue dressed in a sleek white pantsuit, black shirt, and black heels while Orbán presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
Preceded by husband and former President Donald Trump, as Melania entered, the song “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison can be heard in the background.
WATCH:
The Prime Minister of Hungary, @PM_ViktorOrban, gifts Melania Trump with a beautiful bouquet of flowers tonight at Mar-a-Lago 💐🥰 pic.twitter.com/bHBVyk4T9y
— FLOTUS Report (@MELANIAJTRUMP) March 9, 2024
The Trump campaign said late Friday that the two long-time allies discussed “a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation,” per Politico.
While in the U.S., Orbán — who has been chastised by liberal European leaders over his refusal to allow Hungary to become inundated with migrants — did not visit with President Joe Biden, which led to criticism from the commander-in-chief.
A report noted in December that Melania Trump will make many more public appearances on behalf of her husband as he campaigns for a third time for a second term in the White House.
A source told Page Six that after the former president won a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in Decemter, in which justices rejected special counsel Jack Smith’s attempt to get a quick ruling on presidential immunity, “Trump and his family are so secure that he will become president again that insiders at Mar-a-Lago say he’s reached an agreement with [wife] Melania [Trump] to step up top-tier diplomatic appearances in 2024.”
