While Melania most likely is together with and supporting her son, Barron, in Palm Beach, Donald Trump has made headlines with some somewhat controversial outbursts against his Republican presidential opponent, Nikki Haley, not least by mocking her husband, who is serving in the U.S. military.

The aftermath has left Melania Trump firmly in the spotlight.

Melania Trump has had a tough year. In 2023, her husband, Donald Trump, had several criminal charges and cases brought against him, both regarding actions when he was President of the United States and other civil cases.

Melania Trump not present at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies

While Donald Trump has claimed his innocence, lashing out against both the judicial system and judges, Melania has not been present at any hearings or when he’s been indicted. Instead, the former first lady has stayed at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, spending time with their son, Barron Trump.

All in all, she is said to focus on shielding Barron from the media coverage his father is getting and supporting him during his last number of months before graduating from Oxbridge Academy.

“The family was very involved in the past two campaigns for president, so I’d think they would be involved again. From a distance, it seems that Melania became less enthusiastic about this role as the controversies and the scandals mounted, so I don’t know how involved she’ll want to be this time around,” political expert Grant Reeher told the Mirror in January. “And she may be keen to guard Barron from becoming too exposed. Once you draw on your family, they become fair game for the media and opposition research.”

Reeher added, “His other adult children and in-laws were very keen to be involved in both his campaigns and his White House administration, and I see no reason why they wouldn’t want to do that again.”

Melania Trump has kept a low profile and stayed out of the spotlight. She’s only been seen in public a few times, and when the Trump family took their annual Christmas photo, she was not present.

Melania Trump looked ‘distraught’ at mother’s funeral, body language expert says

It turned out that her mother, Amalija Knavs, was very ill, and just days later, Melania confirmed she had passed away. The funeral was held in Palm Beach, at which the former first lady held an emotional eulogy about her mother, saying that Amalija’s “nurturing spirit had no limits, creating a legacy that will last for generations.”