Where Is Melania? A Bizarre Mar‑a‑Lago Twist — Tower, Residency Change and Political Ripples

By The Swamp — Reporting from Mar‑a‑Lago has turned up a surprising detail about the first lady’s living arrangements: insiders say Melania Trump is spending most of her time in a distinctive 75‑foot tower on the 20‑acre estate.

Melania’s Tower Residence

Sources tell us that while the president sleeps in private family quarters on the property, Melania prefers a solitary suite in a tall coquina and concrete tower that dates to the estate’s early years. Built by socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post between 1924 and 1927, the tower was originally an architectural statement and later converted to bedrooms. Its design reportedly channels ocean breezes and creates a passive cooling effect by drawing warm air upward and out of the structure.

To the tower? Melania's hangout rises from the roof of her husband's club. And read on to find out who else is in residence. / Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Official filings with the Palm Beach County Circuit Court show that Melania changed her permanent residence to the Mediterranean‑style resort in October 2025. Locals say she is rarely seen around Palm Beach, and the president himself is seldom spotted outside the estate except to play golf. Insiders also say she has spent time viewing clips from an upcoming documentary about her life — the Brett Ratner–directed film Melania, scheduled to stream on Amazon Prime on January 30 — and that the tower affords a wide view of the waterfront and the entrance along the newly named President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.

Marla Maples and Mar‑a‑Lago’s Social Rhythm

Melania is not the only familiar face increasingly present at Mar‑a‑Lago. Marla Maples has been spending more time at the resort and has described a daily routine that emphasizes unplugging and wellness: leaving phones outside the bedroom, greeting the Atlantic sunrise from her balcony and drinking a morning tonic of warm water with lemon, sea salt and a pinch of baking soda before prayer and meditation. Maples told The Spectator that her prayer is to "be a light to all those I meet and that those who are not meant to be on this path with me drift away with grace and ease."

Will Chris LaCivita party with Hunter? He won't have those damages he wanted from the Beast. / Christian Monterrosa/AFP/Getty Images

Legal Questions and the RNC

The settlement by Chris “FAFO” LaCivita with the Daily Beast — reached without an apology, retraction or the damages he originally sought — has raised questions because the Republican National Committee reportedly funded litigation costs. An RNC official described the arrangement as an "indemnification" similar to protections offered other staff and officeholders, including those targeted by Special Counsel Jack Smith and Congress’ January 6 committee. Critics point out that the RNC also directed more than $650,000 to the law firm of Mark Geragos to enable LaCivita’s suit, and the party has not publicly produced examples of comparable media‑funded lawsuits it has bankrolled. There is also confusion about timing: the RNC promoted Mike Ambrosini to chief of staff in January 2025, yet LaCivita’s March 2025 filing still referred to him as chief of staff. The RNC communications office has declined further comment.

Personnel Shifts and Geopolitics

On the foreign and political front, Marco Rubio is traveling with the president to Davos to meet European partners amid debate over Greenland, while J.D. Vance has been sidelined and assigned a domestic stop in Toledo, Ohio. Vance’s attempt to insert himself into a White House meeting involving Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Vivian Motzfeldt reportedly backfired, leaving Rubio’s steady performance and loyalty to the administration rewarded with greater influence.

In the pink. Federal Reserve Board of Governors' latest addition Stephen Miran (right) meets U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle in Athens. / X/Kimberly Guilfoyle

Washington Social Scene and Executive Moves

With longtime Washington Post social hostess Lally Weymouth’s death in September 2025, Dina Powell McCormick (née Habib) — a former deputy national security adviser and ex‑Goldman Sachs executive — is stepping into a more visible social role after being named Meta’s president and vice chair. A close friend of Ivanka Trump and a former official under Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush, Powell McCormick said in an early interview that she sees AI as driving a "transformation in humanity."

SPOTTED & Notable Items

Spotted: Stephen Miran, newly on the Federal Reserve’s board of trustees, visited Kimberly Guilfoyle in Greece. Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino paused his duties to celebrate his 50th birthday at the White House with staff and his fiancée Erin Elmore. Meena Harris, niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, visited Capitol Hill neighborhoods to lobby on Black maternal mortality and paid family leave, joined by author Anna Malaika Tubbs and entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman. Kerry Kennedy and her daughter addressed human rights issues at Davos.

Political Fallout and Patronage

Political loyalty remains a currency with consequences. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who supported confirmation votes for every Cabinet nominee last year despite public misgivings about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — received a rebuke when the president endorsed Cassidy’s GOP primary opponent, Julia Letlow. The move underscores Trump’s long memory about past opposition and his willingness to weigh in on Republican primaries.

The Trump family’s influence has also produced measurable gains for private companies: watchdog group CREW documents that businesses that added Donald Trump Jr. to their boards after the 2024 election — including Unusual Machines, Credova and BlinxRx — later saw regulatory or contracting benefits, such as Unusual Machines becoming a U.S. Army supplier and the CFPB closing a longstanding inquiry into a Credova subsidiary after Don Jr.’s appointment to PublicSquare’s board.

These are the main developments circulating from Mar‑a‑Lago and the administration’s political orbit. Subscribe to The Swamp for ongoing updates and deeper reporting from inside the D.C. ooze.