Topline
Former President Donald Trump arrived in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon without his wife Melania Trump hours ahead of the first of two presidential debates, and while the former first lady could still make an appearance at the debate, several analysts have speculated she might skip the event in what would be her latest absence from the campaign trail. (Watch the debate live here.)
Key Facts
Melania Trump, the former first lady and mother to Donald Trump’s youngest son Barron, has largely receded from the public eye following her husband’s loss in the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, though an absence from the presidential debate would be an anomaly.
Donald Trump arrived in Georgia shortly before 6 p.m. without Melania, according to videos posted online, though Melania could still attend, a possibility her former chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told NBC News is still likely, adding she believes it would be “very surprising if [Melania] didn’t attend.”
Melania has mostly stayed off the campaign trail this year, and she notably did not attend her husband’s criminal hush money trial in New York over the past two months, even as Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump made appearances.
Several analysts suggest the former first lady might also be planning to take a step back from political life if Donald Trump wins a second presidential term: Author Kate Anderon Brower, who has covered several first ladies and White Houses, told Axios she believes Melania is “distancing herself even more from her husband and from the Washington social political scene,” while Mary Jordan, author of a book about Melania, told Axiso Melania’s absence makes her “stand out in history from any other first lady.”
Donald Trump, in February, maintained Melania will be present “quite a bit” on the campaign trail,” though her appearances so far have been limited to a lone fundraiser in April with Trump, and her son Barron’s high school graduation in May.
One of Melania’s last public appearances prior to the fundraiser came late last year at a naturalization ceremony in Washington D.C., and at the funeral service for former First Lady Rosalynn Carter last November, a service that placed her alongside Biden and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, while Donald Trump and fellow former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama did not attend the funeral.
Melania—and First Lady Jill Biden—stood beside their husbands at the opening of both presidential debates in 2020, and Melania attended two presidential debates in the 2016 campaign cycle, along with former President Bill Clinton.
Forbes has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
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News Peg
The president and first lady arrived on Air Force One in Georgia shortly before 4 p.m., according to videos taken from the tarmac at Dobbins Air Reserve Base outside Atlanta.
What To Watch For
If Melania does attend, she will likely stand out in the CNN studio: both sides agreed to conduct the debate without a live studio audience in a rare move for presidential debates, though Melania and Jill Biden could also sit backstage. Biden and Trump will square up in the first of two presidential debates Thursday night at 9 p.m. on CNN, with moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to meet CNN’s requirements to participate in the debate.
Key Background
Thursday’s debate is one of two both presidential candidates have agreed to ahead of the November election, and with polls showing a tight race, analysts predict the debate could swing undecided voters one way or the other toward Trump or Biden. A Quinnipiac University poll this week found Trump maintains a four-point lead over Biden in a head-to-head match (49% to 45%), though 16% of respondents said they could change their mind depending on the debate. A majority of respondents in a recent New York Times/Siena poll also said they believe Trump will win the debate, with 60% saying Trump will perform well, over 46% of respondents who said the same for Biden.
