Former First Lady Melania Trump has declined First Lady Jill Biden’s invitation for the traditional White House tea meeting, citing the FBI’s 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago as the reason for her decision, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The decision breaks from historical precedent where incoming and outgoing first ladies meet at the White House during presidential transitions.
While President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday for the customary post-election meeting, Mrs. Trump will not participate in the parallel first lady tradition.
A source close to Mrs. Trump expressed strong feelings about the decision, referencing the FBI’s search of her personal belongings during the August 2022 raid of their Palm Beach, Florida residence. The source indicated that the former First Lady’s refusal stems directly from the Biden administration’s authorization of the FBI search.
Mrs. Trump has previously voiced her displeasure regarding the Mar-a-Lago search. During a September interview on “Fox & Friends,” she characterized the incident as an “invasion of privacy” and described her reaction upon returning to find her residence had been searched. “I saw unpleasant stuff that nobody wants to see,” Mrs. Trump said, noting that FBI agents had examined her wardrobe and searched rooms belonging to her son, Barron.
The relationship between the current and former first families has been marked by breaks in tradition. Following the 2020 election, the Trumps did not invite the Bidens to the White House, departing from decades of presidential transition protocol. This contrasted with Mrs. Trump’s own experience in 2016, when she received a White House tour from then-First Lady Michelle Obama.
The Mar-a-Lago search, which precipitated the current tension, was part of a federal investigation into the handling of classified White House documents. That case was subsequently dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in July.
