Why Melania Trump was absent from the Super Bowl

Melania Trump (left), Donald Trump (right). Credit: Getty Images

Donald Trump became the first-ever sitting president to attend the Super Bowl this past Sunday.

The 47th President of the United States brought a large entourage with him, including several family members, but one crucial figure was missing: Melania Trump. The First Lady was not at Donald’s side in New Orleans to see the Philadelphia Eagles claim victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Many began speculating as to why that might be, and social media users were largely split into two different camps.

Meanwhile, sources have shared new insight into Melania Trump’s world as First Lady—and it appears that she has a very different opinion regarding the job than every First Lady before her.

Melania Trump and her husband’s return to the White House was always going to act as a catalyst for controversy and opinion sharing. The couple left Washington in 2021, following their first presidential tenure, but now, four years later, they have returned.

The Slovenian former model’s life has been relatively quiet between her husband’s two presidential terms, but she is again back in the spotlight. Not only that, but speculation about her and Donald’s marriage, as well as rumors of a rift, refuse to go away.

Not long ago, Donald and Melania celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. Their star-studded wedding at Bethesda-By-the-Sea took place on January 22, 2005, and there can have been few better 20th-anniversary presents than getting to move back into the White House together.

The couple shared several intimate moments during Inauguration Day. Though Melania is used to being in the spotlight, one expert, behavioral scientist Abbie Maroño, claimed to have seen something others missed. Speaking to Newsweek, Maroño stated that Melania’s actions indicated discomfort with public attention on the day when her husband took his oath of office.

“First Lady Melania Trump’s choice of a wide-brimmed hat appeared to serve as a barrier, complicating a moment when President Trump attempted to kiss her, resulting in an awkward air kiss,” she said. “This may have been a possible means to conceal her face, indicating discomfort with the public attention. The lack of eye contact, smiles, or hand-holding between the couple, suggesting discomfort.”

Melania Trump

“At the inaugural ball, President Trump and Melania participated in the traditional first dance. Initially, both appeared tense, but the atmosphere lightened when Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, along with military members, joined them on stage. This shift led to more relaxed interactions, with President Trump engaging warmly Melania smiling during the dance.”

Although Donald and Melania have obviously been a power couple for decades, that doesn’t mean they always get along. Reports regarding arguments, including the infamous jacket incident during their first Washington term, were always going to find their way to the press. In her memoir, Melania Trump even revealed she passionately defends abortion rights, something that her husband doesn’t agree with.

The First Lady wants to show the world that she is an individual and not just Donald Trump’s wife, and in an interview with Fox, Melania explained how she gives her own advice to her husband, but that he doesn’t always listen,

“Maybe some people see me as just a wife of the President, but I’m standing on my own two feet, independent, I have my own thoughts, I have my own ‘yes’ and ‘no,'” Melania said.

“I don’t always agree [with] what my husband is saying or doing, and that’s ok. I give him my advice, and sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn’t.”

Melania Trump “really good at balancing her husband,” her photographer says

She continued to reflect on her first tenure as First Lady, saying: “I just feel that people didn’t accept me maybe, they didn’t understand me the way maybe they do now. And I didn’t have much support.”

That Donald and Melania don’t always agree with each other is nothing noteworthy, as the same goes for every married couple in the world. The presidential pair are still going strong after 20 years of marriage, and in early February, Melania’s official photographer, Régine Mahaux, decided to reveal new details about the First Lady’s life today.

“There is something in her–the strong woman –, but at the same time, there is the soft power; she’s really good at balancing her husband,” Mahaux told Hello! Magazine, admitting that he wondered how she has “the courage to keep going.”

“They’ve gone through so much. She’s committed. She loves him and he loves her,” he continued. “She’s always in the right place. She’s always behind her husband. He’s in the light; she doesn’t need the light. She’s a very good No. 2. It’s always her husband first, and I like that; she has strong family values, to be a good wife and to make sure they’re happy.”

Melania assumed the role of First Lady during her husband’s first tenure at the White House while being a person many didn’t believe had what it took. As of today, we all know that she prevailed.

“She’s a different person than she was eight years ago”

But this time, it will be different. Not only because of her experiences but also because of who she has become, according to Mahaux.

“She’s always been hands on, but she’s more free nowadays to make a statement,” the photographer continued. “She’s a different person than she was eight years ago and has always been true to herself. This time, it feels like a different energy with new people that the President has surrounded himself with.”

That the Trumps’ second presidential term will be different is quite clear, but the most significant change for Melania will be the fact that she won’t be staying in Washington full-time. The First Lady has always been clear that her son, Barron Trump, is the most important person in her life, and even though she has the title of First Lady, Washington will have to play second fiddle as Barron is now studying at Stern Business School.

Though Melania has explained what she wants to accomplish during her second term as First Lady, a source tells People Magazine that she won’t let her mission at the White House dictate her life.

“She doesn’t believe she has obligations in the political world. But she does care about children and their well being,” a source in New York and Palm Beach told People. “Anything she may do in this administration will happen if she has the time and interest to pursue it.”

Melania Trump “couldn’t care less how she looks politically,” claims source

The insider added that Melania’s approach to her husband’s world regarding navigating the spotlight is somewhere between his first wife, Ivana Trump, and his second wife, Marla Maples.

“Melania is smart like Ivana,” the source continued, “but while Ivana collaborated with Donald on work projects, Melania is more traditional in the Marla way and remains more under the radar when possible.”

The People Magazine source stated that politics “isn’t Melania Trump’s world,” and that she only has a “small circle of family members and one or two close friends.” Moreover, Donald Trump is claimed to be “concerned” about how his wife looks on the political stage. However, the source argued that Melania “couldn’t care less how she looks politically.”

“You can learn more about Melania by what she doesn’t do or say,” the source concluded. “Just because she is quiet in a crowd doesn’t mean she is aloof, not listening, or necessarily disinterested. Her mind is filled with what she does every day, her own life, and what interests her. Donald does his thing, and she does hers. She tells it like it is when they talk and he listens. Does he do what she says? Not necessarily, but it has happened.”

Melania was seen very few times before Donald Trump went into the last months of his presidential campaigning last year. She traveled with her husband to Los Angeles a few weeks ago and has been seen out on “duty” several times, but when it came to the biggest sporting event in the US, the Super Bowl, Melania was nowhere to be seen.

Donald became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. On Sunday, he arrived at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, with many family members, including his son, Eric Trump, Eric’s wife, Lara, his daughter Ivanka Trump, and her 7-year-old son Theodore.

However, the fact that Melania wasn’t in attendance confused users on social media. Many took to the social media platform X and asked why she wouldn’t accompany Trump at the enormous event. Some were even concerned, while others saw it as a chance to make fun of her.

“Hmm! Where’s Melania? Has she even moved into the WH, or is she busy filing for divorce?” one user wrote, as per the Irish Star.

Another said, “Melania is at home? I can’t say I blame her, tbh.”

“Neither Melania nor Barron are accompanying Trump to the Superbowl. What a ‘family man!’ Melania is NOT living at the WH or Mar a Lago,” a third stated.

Exactly why Melania Trump—or Barron, for that matter—didn’t accompany Donald to the Super Bowl isn’t known. However, before the game, Donald released a statement saying that his wife “joins me in sending our best wishes for a great Super Bowl Sunday.”

Why do you think Melania Trump didn’t accompany Donald to the Super Bowl? Please share this article with friends and family on Facebook and let us know your thoughts!