Melania Trump was recently photographed with her husband and an Israeli model at a Mar-a-Lago party in her first public appearance since her mother's funeral in January.
The former first lady has stayed out of the spotlight since her mother's death, but appeared cheerful and smiling alongside Donald Trump and Israeli model Noy Tawil in a photo shared to Instagram on Sunday.
Melania wore a navy blue long-sleeved dress with a silver necklace and the former president wore a black tuxedo with a bow tie at what appeared to be a lavish event at Mar-a-Lago.
She was conspicuously absent from the campaign with Trump, who is seeking a second term.
Although Melania attended a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in December, her last public appearance was at the funeral of her late mother Amalija Knavs, where she gave an emotional eulogy on January 18.
Melania Trump appeared smiling in a good mood alongside Donald Trump and Israeli model Noy Tawil in a photo shared on Instagram on Sunday
Her last public appearance was at the funeral of her late mother Amalija Knavs, where she gave an emotional eulogy on January 18th
She was not involved in the campaign but spoke during a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives building in December
Mourners joined Melania and her father, Viktor, on the day of the funeral at the same picturesque Palm Beach church where she married Trump nearly two decades earlier.
Melania and Trump were accompanied by their son Barron, while Knavs' husband Viktor appeared visibly upset but paused to compose himself before joining the others.
“Her caring spirit knew no bounds and created a legacy that will last for generations,” the former first lady said of her mother, who died Jan. 9 at age 78. “She turned heads with her beauty and impeccable sense of style.” But it was her unwavering dedication and hard work that made her exceptional.”
She gushed about her mother's love for her 17-year-old grandson Barron, whom she “showered with affection and lit up his world with love, tender care and unwavering devotion.”
Ahead of the New Hampshire primary, Trump said his wife would be “active” in his campaign and that he was relying on her advice.
“She too wants to make America great again, I rely on her advice and everyone else.” “I think she will be very active,” he told Fox News.
Although she didn't appear on the campaign trail, Melania's stylist collected over $100,000 from Donald Trump's super PAC in the last six months of 2023 as the former president wasted money on legal fees.
Herve Pierre Braillard received eight installments of $18,000 and one of $6,000 labeled “strategy consulting,” for a total of $132,000, according to the PAC's filing with the Federal Election Commission.
The fashion designer has earned $371,000 from Trump's Save America Leadership PAC as of April 2022.
Meanwhile, the former president has withdrawn money from his PAC in the form of legal fees.
Melania stylist Herve Pierre Braillard (left) raised over $100,000 from Donald Trump's super PAC in the last six months of 2023
Pierre designed the large white hat that Melania Trump wore in April 2018 when she and then-President Donald Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House for a state visit
Donald Trump's Save America leadership PAC and Make America Great Again PAC spent $56 million on legal fees last year, including $30 million in the last half of the year.
The cases have repeatedly taken Trump out of the election campaign – although he has also used the negative verdicts and charges against him in repeated appeals for donations from small-dollar donors across the country.
Trump is fighting in federal court in Washington, D.C., charges related to January 6, election overturning charges in Georgia, a secret documents case in Florida and a criminal case in Manhattan related to hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
In the cases, teams of Trump lawyers have filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking immunity from prosecution in special counsel Jack Smith's Jan. 6 case.
Trump's latest woe was a jury's finding that he was ordered to pay $83 million in damages for defaming E. Jean Carroll.