Melania Trump Reportedly Isn't A Fan Of The East Wing Demo (Has She Even Been There This Term?)

Where is Melania? This question was once again on every pundit's lips as President Donald Trump proceeded to demolish the entire East Wing of the White House in October 2025. Melania Trump shattered any illusion she cares about being first lady with her silence on the matter. But now new reporting from The Wall Street Journal indicates that, while the first lady hasn't commented on it publicly, she did try to distance herself from it and expressed concern about Trump bulldozing the East Wing to the ground. Alas, the East Wing is no more, and soon, Trump's $300 million ballroom will stand in its place.

There was a public outcry as photographs of the demolition made the rounds on social media, with questions about whether Trump had gone through the proper legal channels to proceed with the project. The East Wing has been the hub of the first lady's operations for decades, but apart from The Wall Street Journal's reporting, Melania hasn't said a word about her husband's latest venture, and her office has declined to comment on the matter.

The fact that Melania privately raised concerns about the demolition is, in some ways, surprising. She's barely spent any time at the White House since her husband's second term commenced. In May, The New York Times reported that, of her husband's 108 days in office, the first lady had only been at his side for about 14 of them. Melania briefly clocked in for work in August 2025, but as far as anyone knows, she hasn't even been at the White House for the entirety of October. The last time she was spotted at the Executive Mansion was on September 4, when she attended a task force meeting and a White House dinner with tech billionaires.

Donald Trump's second-term antics have given critics plenty to seethe about, but lately their wrath has turned towards Melania Trump. Amid the East Wing's demolition, many have come to the conclusion that Melania's lavish life outside the White House is more important to the first lady than what's transpiring in Washington.

Kate Andersen Brower, who has studied the influence of first ladies over the years, told the Times of India that Melania's lack of a public statement hints at her lackluster approach to her duties as first lady. "She's making it clear that — like her husband — she's not going to be like any other first lady ... She doesn't care about historic precedent either," Brower surmised. Journalist Kate Bennett told the outlet that Melania is clearly burying her head in the sand, which is strange given the circumstances. "It would be like — you're really close to your next door neighbor, but they decided to demolish your garage for a basketball court, and you didn't really say anything about it," she said.

Melania may or may not have tried to dissuade Trump from going ahead with his plans to demolish the East Wing. After all, she admitted during her January 2025 interview with Fox News that she does sometimes offer her husband advice. She was also honest about the fact that he often disregards it. "I don't always agree [with] what my husband is saying or doing, and that's okay," Melania said. "I give him my advice. And sometimes he listens. Sometimes he doesn't. And that's okay." This was definitely one of those times Trump didn't listen.