Usha Vance's Emotional Moment With Erika Kirk Puts Melania Trump Under The Microscope

Ever since media personality Charlie Kirk's death, we've been getting glimpses of Usha Vance's rarely-seen soft side in vulnerable moments with Charlie's wife, Erika Kirk. Now, netizens' reaction to Usha's latest vulnerable moment with Erika proves that the second lady's behavior is putting a spotlight on the first lady's absence. It has people asking, for the seemingly umpteenth time, that age-old question: Where is Melania Trump?

After the Medal of Freedom ceremony honoring @charliekirk11, President Trump and Vice President Vance stood with Erika as Amazing Grace played ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dWv9d4Z3WV

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 14, 2025

October 14, 2025, would have been Kirk's 32nd birthday, just one month after he was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University. Instead of celebrating his birthday, the podcast host was instead posthumously given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now, a video of the song "Amazing Grace" from the ceremony is making the rounds online. The clip shows Erika dabbing her eyes with a tissue as she stands among the silent crowd. President Donald Trump is present among the mourners, as are Usha and JD Vance. Usha is standing next to Erika, and even reaches out to touch Erika's shoulder and hold her hand. Interestingly, the video has many folks on X, formerly known as Twitter, wondering where Melania was in this moment and why she hasn't been showing Erika support the way that Usha has.

At this point, it often comes as a surprise whenever Melania Trump finally clocks in for work as first lady, as it's pretty clear that she prefers to avoid the spotlight at all costs. So, while it isn't a shock to notice her absence at an event where Donald Trump and both Vances are all present, it still has people wondering why this emotional event wasn't an occasion that brought the controversial first lady back into the public eye. 

When the Trump administration's communications advisor, Margo Martin, shared the video on X, one commenter asked, "Margo...where was Melania?" Veteran Graham Allen shared the same video on X, and his comments were flooded with people asking the exact same question. "Where is Melania? Why doesn't she attend these events? Or at least I never see her at them," wrote one social media user on X. "She wants minimum participation in these charades," another commenter replied. "It's not in her contract," joked another.

While it's clear that plenty of people don't expect to see Melania at public events, this occasion in particular seemed to leave some people wondering: If the second lady can reach out to comfort Erika Kirk, why can't the first lady? Based on what we've seen over the years, though, Melania doesn't seem to come out of hiding no matter how many times people ask, "Where is Melania?" Maybe she'll appear if you say her name three times, but then again, probably not.