Will Melania live in the White House? What now for the next First Lady

Her husband has won a historic return to the most famous address in the world, defeating Kamala Harris in a close-run race for the presidency.

Melania was all smiles as she joined Donald Trump on stage for his victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida, on election night.

However, while there has been no official announcement yet, questions remain about exactly where she will spend her time during Trump’s second term as the couple prepares for his return to office.

Ordinarily, the president and first lady would move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January after the inauguration and live there full-time.

But in the run-up to election day, reports claimed that Melania may not be quite as enthused as her husband about moving back to her former address.

Sources close to now president-elect Trump’s wife told People earlier this month that she intends to spend time in a private apartment in Washington DC as well as her homes in Florida and New York.

“She will have her private living apartment there, and she has her home in New York, and her home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach,” a source told the outlet. “She will spend time in all of these places.”

Melania will opt to spend more time in New York above everywhere else while her son, Barron, 18, is enrolled at New York University, the report claims.

“Barron’s safety and well-being will always remain at the top of her priority list, but that doesn’t mean she would shirk her duties as first lady should that opportunity come again,” a source added.

Much like her husband, Melania’s time in the White House was not always a happy experience. During Trump’s first term, she was criticised for her attire, her landscaping choices in the White House grounds and called herself “the most bullied person in the world.” She generally kept a low profile during the administration and was said to be deeply unhappy.

The former first lady rarely made appearances during her husband’s second presidential campaign either and her most high-profile moment was to promote her own, self-titled and poorly reviewed memoir.

Others though, believe reports of her alleged unhappiness are overplayed.

Mary Jordan, author of ‘The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump’, told ABC News on Wednesday: “I think there’s a mistaken notion that she really hated being the first lady. She really did like a lot of it. She loved meeting foreign leaders, it’s just that she wants to do what she wants to do.

“She has told people ‘look, I’m not the one elected’, so if she wants to go down to Mar-a-Lago and hang out by herself for two weeks, do that.

“But she is going to be in the White House, she loves a lot of the pomp and circumstance.”

And in her own words, Melania suggested she would be going back to DC if Trump won a second term.

When asked on Fox & Friends during the campaign about whether she’s anxious to return to the White House, Melania said: “I’m not anxious because this time is different. I have much more experience, much more knowledge.

“I was in the White House before, so when you go in, you know exactly what to expect.”