Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance will visit Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River for a pre-Thanksgiving event to meet service members, speak from an aircraft hangar and show appreciation for military families. This is their first public appearance without their husbands, roughly 10 months into the administration. The visit comes as the first lady becomes more publicly active after a quieter start to her term; she has also promoted children's initiatives, an AI safety coalition, and is producing a documentary due in January.
Melania Trump to Join Second Lady Usha Vance for Pre-Thanksgiving Troop Visit in North Carolina
First Lady Melania Trump will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday with Second Lady Usha Vance for a pre-Thanksgiving visit to military families, signaling a more visible public schedule after a quiet start to her second term.
Visit details
The pair are scheduled to meet service members and their families at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. According to the first lady's office, they will deliver formal remarks inside an aircraft hangar and aim to "show appreciation for those who serve this holiday season." The trip marks their first public appearance together without their husbands, about 10 months into the Trump–Vance administration.
Behind the scenes
It is not clear how closely the two women have worked together privately. Officials say the Vances hosted the Trumps for dinner at the Naval Observatory last month, where the couples spent roughly 90 minutes. The first lady's office declined to comment about the nature of their relationship.
Roles and recent activity
Vance, a former high-powered lawyer, is navigating her new role as a prominent figure alongside the first lady. She has accompanied her husband on major domestic and international trips while quietly promoting children's literacy and balancing life with three young children under public scrutiny.
By contrast, the first lady spent much of the opening months of the president's second term away from the White House, splitting time between New York and Palm Beach and making relatively few public appearances. Her staff is smaller than during her first term, and she has delegated many decisions she once managed, a dynamic that coincided with the recent demolition of the East Wing, long used by presidential spouses.
In recent weeks, however, the first lady has returned to public view with engagements on children’s well-being and artificial intelligence safety. She has helped launch a global coalition called "Fostering the Future Together" on AI safety and joined the president for a separate executive order signing on a foster-care initiative called "Fostering the Future." She also engaged in back-channel efforts with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at securing the release of Ukrainian children alleged to have been abducted, with mixed results.
Documentary project
Trump has said a multimillion-dollar deal with Amazon MGM for a documentary about her return to the White House occupied much of her time this year. The film, titled "Melania," is described by the first lady as capturing "20 days of my life before the inauguration," chronicling her transition back into the role while balancing business, philanthropy and family responsibilities. She said the documentary is scheduled for release in January.
The film is set to be directed by Brett Ratner, his first major project since 2017, when multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. Ratner has denied those allegations.
What to watch
Observers say it remains uncertain whether this North Carolina trip represents a sustained shift to a more active public role for the first lady. For now, the visit underscores a growing public rhythm and continued focus on military families and children’s issues heading into the holiday season.
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