The Way Trump Referred To Melania At CPAC Is Turning Heads

Former President Donald Trump left the White House on January 20, 2021 to make way for President Joe Biden. The transition was an unusual one, to say the least, and the only tradition Trump adhered to in the turnover was leaving a note for his successor. While the nation watched the presidential change, it was Melania Trump who stole the show in many ways. She wore a very interesting final outfit as first lady, donning an all-black ensemble made entirely by non-American designers, thus foregoing the tradition of wearing American-made brands. Following tradition, though, was never the Trumps' strong suit to begin with. They continued to make waves when they landed in Florida after leaving the White House, with Melania leaving her husband to wave to the camera alone after landing. Trump made his first speech after his term at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 28, 2021, and the speech was noteworthy for many reasons. First of all, Trump seemed to demolish any idea of creating a new party. Instead, he focused on members of the Republican party who didn't stand by him and would essentially, in his mind, destroy the party. As if it wasn't already clear that Trump has plans to return to the ring for 2024 presidential options, he dubbed his wife, Melania Trump, with a significant title. In his CPAC speech, he referred to her as "the future first lady." In context, it certainly sounds like Trump was referring to Melania as the future first lady at the time they rode down the escalator together - indicating that she would soon join him in the White House after the 2016 elections. Still, the phrase definitely caught the attention of many in the media, who felt like Trump might be indicating a 2024 run that would bring Melania back into First Lady status. For her part, Melania has not been seen in public since Trump's term as president ended, per the outlet. She also had the lowest ratings of any recent first lady, though the outlet says that she reportedly intends on continuing her "Be Best" campaign, which is centered on anti-bullying online. If you thought it appeared like Melania Trump did not enjoy the duties of being the first lady during her four years in the White House, those perceptions were confirmed by her former best friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. In 2020, Melania's ex-BFF wrote and released a tell-all book, Melania & Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, and backed up a lot of her claims with recorded conversations with the then-First Lady. A few of the recordings were particularly brutal, including her lack of enthusiasm for Christmas and her seemingly dismissing conversation about the separation of children at the border. Winston Wolkoff also shared recorded conversations between herself and the first lady on CNN about Melania's trip to the border while wearing a controversial jacket emblazoned with the text "I really don't care. Do U?" Wolkoff later clarified what that high-profile fashion statement was all about during an interview with Andy Cohen. Wolkoff repeated that sentiment in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, who later tweeted: "The jacket was... a publicity stunt, and it was to garner the attention of the press, to make sure that everyone was aware that Melania was going to the border." As for Trump's remarks about Melania being the future first lady, it's possible that she might not actually want to be the first lady again because that would put her near her stepdaughter Ivanka Trump. It was reportedly an open secret that the two women closest to Donald Trump are not the most fond of each other. The Daily Beast reported on the relationship between Melania and Ivanka, with Melania's former bestie bringing receipts. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff weighed in on the "Melania-Ivanka war" with the outlet, saying: "The princess wanted to render Melania irrelevant. And you know, Melania refers to them as 'snakes,' Jared and Ivanka, and they'll do anything to get what they want. And they do." #DonaldTrump #MelaniaTrump #CPAC