In the couple’s first post-election interview, on CBS’ ”60 Minutes,” Melania Trump said: “I will stay true to myself. I’m very strong and tough and confident.”
For now, McBride said, the professional staff at the White House can do much of the event planning, with the first lady weighing in remotely and traveling down from time to time.
McBride noted one big event looming: the Governor’s Ball in February, a standing event on the calendar.
Another possibility is that other family members, like Trump’s daughter Ivanka, could take hostess duties at times. There is plenty of historical precedent for that, according to Jellison. When Jackie Kennedy traveled, President John F. Kennedy’s mother or sisters would fill in. If Bess Truman was home in Missouri, her daughter, Margaret, would play hostess during Harry Truman’s presidency. Julie Nixon sometimes appeared on behalf of her mother, Pat Nixon.
However the events are organized, Doug Wead, who worked for President George H.W. Bush and wrote a book about presidents’ children, said the Trumps are experts at event planning.
“You have this unusual situation where you have a president who doesn’t have political experience, but he has business experience. They will know how to entertain,” Wead said.
In terms of advocacy, Melania Trump has mentioned doing work that addresses bullying — a notable choice given the president-elect’s love of name-calling on social media. It can take some time for the first lady to launch personal projects. Michelle Obama began her “Let’s Move” initiative about a year into her husband’s first term.
If Melania Trump tries to keep some distance from Washington even after she moves, she wouldn’t be the first presidential spouse seeking space. Bess Truman often fled Washington for her hometown of Independence, Missouri. And Jackie Kennedy liked to travel in Europe.
“I’m not saying it has always been the case that first ladies and their families loved living in the White House,” Jellison said. “There were many who spent a great deal of time away.”
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Article Appeared @https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/melania-trump-is-set-to-be-a-long-distance-first-lady/2016/11/25/538e104a-b2ec-11e6-bc2d-19b3d759cfe7_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop