Media reports suggest Melania Trump will skip a White House meeting, with sources claiming she’s unable to forgive the Mar-a-Lago estate raid.
The former and soon-to-be first lady of the US, Melania Trump, has snubbed an invitation to the White House, reportedly because President Joe Biden had the FBI rummage through her underwear.
Republican Donald Trump resoundingly defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s election. Biden extended a formal White House invitation to the Trumps on Saturday, and the meeting was scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time.
“She ain’t going,” a source familiar with Melania’s decision told the New York Post on Monday. “Jill Biden’s husband authorized the FBI snooping through her underwear drawer. The Bidens are disgusting,” the source added. “Jill Biden isn’t someone Melania needs to meet.”
The FBI raided the Trumps’ Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in August 2022, ostensibly looking for classified documents. The unprecedented raid and the ensuing criminal charges were eventually repudiated by the US Supreme Court, which ruled that presidents had full immunity for all their official actions.
CNN also reported that Melania may not attend the meet-up, but attributed it to a “scheduling conflict” related to her recently published memoir, citing three anonymous sources familiar with her plans.
The symbolic invitation is intended to show Americans and the world that the Bidens have accepted the Democrats’ defeat and will peacefully surrender power come January 20, according to CNN. The network also suggested that the Democrats wanted to stake out the moral high ground, because Trump had snubbed the Bidens after the controversial 2020 election.
Four years ago, Biden and Harris officially received a record 81 million votes to defeat Trump by the exact same electoral college margin with which he won against Hillary Clinton four years prior. Republicans have insisted that the election was marred by widespread irregularities, which the Democrats have denounced as “election denial” and “insurrection.”
This time around, Trump won 312 electoral college votes, the popular vote, and all seven swing states, while the Republicans regained the Senate and appear to have held onto the House of Representatives.
The meeting of the incumbent president and his elected successor – as well as their spouses – is a long-time tradition in Washington. Michelle Obama had Melania Trump over for tea in 2016, so she could show her around the residence.
Wednesday’s meeting is being coordinated by Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients and Trump’s campaign manager Susie Wiles.
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