Melania Trump returned to public life with a smile this weekend as she waved and greeted guests from Donald Trump’s side at a black-tie gala at Mar-a-Lago, her first major event since her mother died last month .
Her presence at The Trumpettes, a ball in honor of the former president, was unable. The former first lady has been absent from her husband’s side as he fights his many legal battles and campaigns for a second term in the White House.
One guest described her as “good-humored” and close to Trump all night. Photos and videos posted to social media show her dressed in a fashionable black pantsuit and smiling broadly.
Trump was visibly happy to see her there. But what remains unclear is whether she will give him a boost in other areas of his life, especially the 2024 general election and his numerous legal cases.
Donald Trump kisses wife Melania Trump during the Trumpette Gala at Mar-a-Lago
The former first lady is popular among the MAGA faithful. The crowd cheers loudly when Trump mentions her name during one of his campaign rallies.
She could also make him seem more sympathetic to a jury if she sat next to him in the courtroom. She has never spoken publicly about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection — she was at the White House that day — or Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Neither Melania Trump’s spokesperson nor Trump’s campaign official responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Melania Trump looked stylish in a black jumpsuit at the gala
While it would be unlikely that Melania would appear next to Donald in court – reports indicate she sees his legal issues as his problem and not hers – if Trump wins a second term in the White House, Trump would return as first lady.
Melania spent most of her previous time in the White House focused on her son. She helped maintain the stately home and organized a few events related to her causes, but for the most part was a publicly taciturn first lady.
On Saturday evening she was visible, but she did not speak.
Trump, meanwhile, paid attention to his wife. He kept an eye on her as he walked through the cheering crowd, often turning his head to make sure she was nearby
And the couple, who just celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary, made a rare public display of affection.
Trump gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before addressing the crowd, calling her the country’s “great first lady.” Guests described him as attentive to her.
‘She seemed calm, but cheerful. She was smiling the whole time,” Delia Hickman, creator of the blog “Momma Loves Fashion,” told DailyMail.com after attending the gala.
“What really struck me was that even though everyone was waiting for Trump to make his grand entrance, when he walked in and waved to everyone, he turned to her and acknowledged that she was there!
“After he walked to the stage, she stood there by the stage smiling the whole time. She waved and said hello to anyone close enough to contact her. She was all smiles. There was a look of great peace on her face,” Hickman noted.
The Trumps entered the gala, held in the ornate white and gold ballroom of Mar-a-Lago, to shouts and cheers. Vivek Ramaswamy and his wife Apoorva were by their side.
Donald Trump paid attention to Melania during the gala, witnesses noted
Delia Hickman, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Tiffany Trump at the gala
The love fest continued for the next few days.
On Valentine’s Day, Trump sent a special fundraising message to his followers, written as a love letter to Melania.
“Hello, this is a Valentine’s Day letter to my beautiful wife, Melania!”, it begins.
‘Dear Melania, I love you!’
He then thanks her for his support: ‘Even after every indictment, arrest and witch hunt, you have never left my side. You have always supported me in everything. Without your guidance, kindness and warmth, I would not be the man I am today.”
He concluded by signing his full name: “You will always mean the world to me, Melania! With love from your husband, Donald J. Trump.”
It is the final public display in a marriage that has captivated the American people.
They had separate bedrooms in the White House. And Melania Trump showed her anger towards her husband in her own way – such as when she decided not to travel with him to Davos after reports emerged of his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
But she’s also been on the sidelines, most notably in 2016 when she defended after the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape emerged.
After the death of Amalija Knavs, Melania has slowly returned to the busy life of Trump’s residence in Palm Beach. She and her mother were very close, and Melania spent a lot of time in the hospital taking care of her.
Knavss died on January 9 at the age of 78. Melania spoke at her mother’s memorial service in Palm Beach and traveled to Slovenia for her mother’s funeral.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is close to the Trumps, attended Melania’s mother’s funeral.
“She was heartbroken,” he said of the former first lady. ‘Big loss. And she’s tough, so I’m sure she’ll continue to help the country in her own way. But yeah, I mean, that bond was incredible.”
Questions have been raised about the state of Trump’s relationship.
She and her husband traveled to and from her mother’s funeral in separate cars. And Melania was not present when Donald Trump addressed the nation last April, after he was indicted in the first batch of what is now 91 charges.
Notably, the former president omitted any mention of Melania in a minutes-long portion of the speech in which he spoke poignantly and lovingly about his family.
During the Christmas and New Year holidays, Melania Trump was noticeably missing from photos of the family celebrating the occasions. Donald Trump said she was caring for her mother, who was “very sick.”
“It’s a tough one, a very tough one,” he said during a New Year’s Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, noting that Melania was in a Miami hospital with her mother.
Melania’s father Victor remains at Mar-a-Lago, where the Knavs had a series of rooms. A few weeks ago, he and Melania had dinner with the former president.
Donald Trump sent a Valentine’s Day letter to Melania as a fundraising email
Melania Trump was at Donald Trump’s side when he announced a second bid for the White House in November – and hasn’t been on the campaign trail since
But Saturday’s gala was Melania’s first political appearance in more than a year.
Over the past twelve months, Melania has been more noticeable for where she hasn’t been. And her absence sparked a slew of rumors: that she didn’t support Trump’s presidential bid, that she didn’t like political life, that she was focused on her son Barron.
Since the Trumps’ departure from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Melania has remained mostly behind the closed doors of her three homes: the lavish New York City apartment at Trump Tower, the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, and the private residence on the grounds of the Trump Bedminster Golf Course.
She has not appeared at any of Donald Trump’s campaign events since he announced his 2024 bid at Mar-a-Lago on November 15, 2022.
She did not stand by Donald Trump’s side during his court hearings in New York, Florida, Washington DC or Georgia.
She was not present at Mar-a-Lago the night he defended himself after his first arraignment. She was not with Trump in Bedminster as he railed against federal charges against him in the classified documents case.