In a recent report from The Washington Post, First Lady Jill Biden revealed that she had extended a customary invitation to Melania Trump, the incoming first lady, to join her for tea at the White House—a time-honored tradition for outgoing and incoming first ladies during presidential transitions. However, Trump reportedly declined the invitation, which Biden noted in a January 5th interview.
Biden explained that, following the missed opportunity for a face-to-face meeting, she sent a personal note to Melania Trump. This note, which Biden said she passed along to President-elect Donald Trump during their December meeting at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, included congratulations and an offer of assistance. Biden reflected, “I congratulated her and I offered help,” although it seems there was no immediate response from the Trumps until a brief interaction at the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. During that encounter, Melania Trump reportedly thanked the First Lady for her note.
This instance is part of a broader trend where some traditional practices between outgoing and incoming first ladies are being skipped. For example, former First Lady Michelle Obama, a key figure in the Democrat Party, announced she would not be attending the upcoming inauguration of President Biden. She also skipped Carter’s state funeral, citing a “scheduling conflict,” even though her absence drew significant attention as it meant she would have been seated next to President-elect Biden.
Additionally, during the Carter funeral, former Second Lady Karen Pence made headlines when she chose to remain seated as President-elect Biden approached. In contrast, her husband, former Vice President Mike Pence, stood up to shake Biden’s hand, showing the growing divisions between the current and incoming leadership.
For many Republicans, these instances underscore the political and social fractures of this transition, where longstanding traditions and gestures of unity seem to be sidelined in favor of partisan divides.