Melania Trump opted not to join Donald Trump on his trip to China, choosing instead to concentrate on her domestic duties centered on “America’s families and children” within the U.S., according to a source.
Her notable absence from the American delegation attending the meeting between the U.S. president and Chinese President Xi Jinping has sparked curiosity and prompted questions about the first lady’s whereabouts.
Although she accompanied her husband during his 2017 visit to China, this trip saw the president traveling with a contingent of top U.S. officials and prominent business leaders instead. While Melania didn’t join the China trip, the president’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump took her place.
Back in Washington, D.C., the first lady has been commemorating the 180-day anniversary of her husband’s approval of the Fostering the Future Executive Order, legislation supporting one of her key programs aimed at assisting children in state care.
An insider familiar with the arrangements told the Washington Post the First Lady was never slated to take part in this trip, even prior to its postponement from the initial date due to the U.S. war with Iran.
“The First Lady has prioritized America’s families and children in her initiatives here at home and is focused on these responsibilities at the present time,” the source explained.
She will, nonetheless, be on hand to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping and his spouse, Peng Liyuan, at the White House in September during their return visit to America. Brett Ratner, director of the Melania Amazon documentary, has joined President Trump’s delegation on the 2026 state visit to China, a move that has sparked fresh questions about the official party.
A source close to the first lady told The Post that Melania was unaware Ratner would be traveling aboard Air Force One to Beijing.
The 57-year-old filmmaker joined a roster of prominent business figures accompanying Trump on his China trip, including outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Ratner had been largely absent from Hollywood since 2017, when six women accused him of sexual misconduct. He staged a comeback by co-producing Melania’s documentary, which Amazon acquired for $75 million. The film chronicles the first lady’s final 20 days before the 2025 presidential inauguration as she prepared to resume her role in the White House.
Also making the journey to China were Trump’s son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara. Lara recently shared a photograph featuring several delegation members, including a blonde woman whose face may not be immediately familiar to many — though her work almost certainly is.
The woman pictured is believed to be Natalie Harp, Trump’s executive assistant. According to the Wall Street Journal, Harp is the key figure behind Trump’s Truth Social posts and is sometimes the person actually hitting publish on his content.
In a burst of activity on Monday, May 11, his account generated 17 posts within just one hour, among them multiple reshares from his own supporters proclaiming him the “greatest president ever.”
Altogether, the account put out 55 messages between 10.14 p.m. and 1.12 a.m.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
