Melania Trump Welcomes Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu in Her First Official White House Appearance
First Lady Melania Trump was by President Trump‘s side on Wednesday as they welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, to the White House.
The moment marked Mrs. Trump’s first official appearance at the White House since her husband was sworn in as president nearly a month ago on Jan. 20. Mrs. Trump, 46, has decided to continue living in New York City with her 10-year-old son, Barron, while he finishes the school year.
Mrs. Trump greeted the Netanyahus with kisses when she and her husband met their guests outside the South Portico of the White House at noon. The two couples chatted and posed for photos before heading inside for the president and prime minister’s news conference.
After leading Mrs. Netanyahu to her seat in the Oval Office, Mrs. Trump sat down next to daughter-in-law Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner.
Following the press conference, the Trumps and Netanyahus spent some time together in the Oval Office, where they posed for more photos.
The first lady then escorted Mrs. Netanyahu around the White House while their husbands had private meetings. Later, the two women visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where they were given a tour.
After the museum visit, the two women said their goodbyes, holding each other’s hands as they spoke, according to a pool report.
“Nice to see you. Thank you for coming to D.C.,” Mrs. Trump told Mrs. Netanyahu before they left in separate cars.
The two women will be reunited later Wednesday night, when the Trumps will throw a private dinner for the Netanyahus. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and his wife, Jeanette, will co-host.
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This isn’t the first time Mrs. Trump has hosted a foreign leader. Last weekend, she and her husband entertained Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, Akie, at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
A spokeswoman for the first lady recently shut down rumors that Mrs. Trump would remain in New York City indefinitely.
“Mrs. Trump will be moving to D.C. and settling in to the White House at the end of the school year, splitting her time between New York and D.C. in the meantime,” Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, acting as senior adviser to the first lady, told CNN.
“Mrs. Trump is honored to serve this country and is taking the role and responsibilities of first lady very seriously,” she added. “It has only been a short time since the inauguration and the first lady is going to go about her role in a pragmatic and thoughtful way that is unique and authentic to her.”
