US First Lady Melania Trump has not been seen in public for several weeks. According to recent reports, she has been absent from several important events during this period where she would normally have appeared alongside her husband, President Donald Trump.
Melania was also absent from the funeral of Republican leader and US Senator Lindsey Graham, who died, held on July 28. Four days earlier, she was also absent from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The First Lady was also not seen on July 22, when the president attended a ceremony to formally receive the remains of four US service members killed in military operations in the Middle East.
According to an NBC News report, Melania Trump was last seen in public on July 19, nearly a month ago. That day, she sat beside her husband and watched the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Before that, Melania was seen at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14. She was also beside her husband on February 13, at an event honoring a special military unit.
That special unit had taken part in a commando operation in Venezuela in January, in which then-President Nicolas Maduro was captured and brought to the United States.
According to a photo-based analysis by Newsweek, First Lady Melania Trump has been seen in public at a total of 34 events from the start of 2026 to now, including the events mentioned above.
Separately, according to The Daily Beast’s count, Melania Trump has appeared in public on 38 days this year, meaning she has been seen publicly roughly once every six days on average.
Compared with Trump’s first term, NBC News reports that Melania was seen in public at nearly twice as many events during her first stint as First Lady.
A senior adviser to the First Lady told the outlet that Melania Trump “prioritizes the results of her work over public appearances.”
The Independent contacted the White House for comment on the matter but received no response.
The First Lady reportedly currently spends most of her time in Florida and New York. Her son, Barron Trump, is attending college in New York. Melania has also gone without public appearances for extended periods before.
According to Newsweek, Melania Trump was absent from public view for roughly a month between January and February.
At the same time that Melania Trump has been absent from public view for an extended period, presidential aide Natalie Harp has been seen at his side almost constantly, a pattern that has sparked speculation in the media.
In July, after a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump secretly left Ankara aboard a military aircraft. Among the small group of officials who accompanied Trump on that military aircraft was 35-year-old Natalie Harp.
Most of the officials traveling with Trump to Turkey aboard Air Force One reportedly did not know that day that Trump was switching planes over fears of an Iranian attack. Most accompanying officials and journalists left Ankara aboard Air Force One as usual.
According to the report, Harp assists in managing Trump’s Truth Social account. She traveled with Trump aboard the Marine One helicopter on August 11 and August 16.
Harp was present with the president at the July 22 ceremony formally receiving the remains of service members killed in military operations in the Middle East. She also accompanied Trump on his trip to China in May. Melania did not go on that trip.
Concerns have been raised for some time over Donald Trump’s close relationship with Natalie Harp.
According to New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump considers Harp one of his most trusted aides and believes she will never leave him.
Harp, for her part, writes various notes to encourage Trump and leaves them in “various personal places” for the president. One such note reportedly read: “You are the most important person to me.”
One of Harp’s brothers has described his sister’s relationship with the president as “very unhealthy.” He is no longer in contact with her.
A White House spokesperson earlier told The Independent: “President Trump has earned more loyalty from his staff and administration officials than any president before him — proof of his commitment to our country and its people.”
The spokesperson added: “Natalie Harp is a very well-liked official at the White House. People who spread fake news will never understand what it feels like to be as trusted and admired as she is.”
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