Melania Trump will go down in history as the first spouse of a sitting world leader to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. She will also deliver a speech dedicated to “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict Situations.” Her main message is that education can become a way to promote tolerance and peace in the world. The UN has already stated that Melania Trump’s chairmanship will emphasize “the importance the United States attaches to the Security Council.”
Interestingly, the First Lady’s chairing comes against the backdrop of open criticism from Donald Trump. Until recently, he called the UN an ineffective organization in need of reform and withdrew the United States from several UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In addition, the United States owes the UN a significant amount of contributions, totaling $4 billion.
However, in recent days, Trump sharply changed his position. He stated that “we will ensure the viability of the United Nations” and “I believe that in the end it will live up to its potential.” Therefore, the First Lady’s chairing of the Security Council may be seen as evidence of a new course of the White House toward the UN.
At the same time, Melania Trump’s personal initiatives sometimes went against Donald Trump’s vision. In particular, she did not share her husband’s optimism about Russian dictator Putin’s willingness to end the war in Ukraine.
Despite Melania Trump’s attempts to gain some political influence, her figure remains the most controversial among many American first ladies. UA.News recalls the most notable events that stirred society during her time in the White House during Donald Trump’s first and second presidential terms.
First term: Distancing from White House traditions
When Donald Trump first won the 2016 presidential election, his wife initially did not move to the White House and remained in New York with their son. She also did not show a desire to follow the traditions established by all previous first ladies.
Melania did not participate in charitable projects that united former U.S. first ladies. She ignored fundraising after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and other humanitarian initiatives carried out by Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton. Trump’s wife also did not consult former first ladies on educational or social projects, as her predecessors had done. Overall, she distanced herself from political and social movements.
Disdain from political elites was further reinforced by a scandal in 2018 when Melania ordered the cutting down of a magnolia tree, as well as the relocation of rose bushes and apple trees planted by Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House garden. The trees were considered part of the Kennedy family’s symbolic legacy. Despite official explanations about their poor condition, public activists criticized the garden’s redesign.
In 2018, another incident caused public outrage. During a visit to a migrant children’s detention center in Texas, the First Lady appeared wearing a jacket with the inscription “I really don’t care, do u?”
The media immediately interpreted the inscription as a sign of indifference toward children left without parents due to the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policy. In response, the First Lady stated that the jacket was a message “to the people and the leftist media” who criticized her.
Additionally, at the start of Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign, media reports claimed that Melania worked as a model in the U.S. in 1996 before obtaining a work visa. Although allegations regarding her illegal status were later officially refuted, it provoked new criticism of Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
Part of Melania Trump’s media image also involved rumors about problems in her marriage with Donald Trump. She did not comment on these tabloid speculations. The media also noted that Melania Trump, as First Lady, was not featured on the cover of Vogue magazine, unlike her predecessors.
“They are biased, they have their likes and dislikes, and it’s very obvious. I think Americans see all of this. It was their decision. I have much more important things — in the White House — than appearing on the cover of Vogue,” Melania Trump said in an interview after leaving the White House in 2021.
At that time, Western media noted that Republican first ladies had never appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine throughout its history. Political analysts in the United States consider one of the biggest challenges Melania Trump faced during her first term was her lack of political experience. Moreover, most of her charitable initiatives were not publicized.
Second term: A new political role
The day after Donald Trump’s victory in the 2025 presidential election, Melania addressed Americans, urging them to rise above ideology for the sake of the country.
“Most Americans entrusted us with this important responsibility. We will safeguard the heart of the republic — freedom,” she wrote on social media.
This brief message indicated that Melania Trump had changed her approach to the role of First Lady.
Although her second term has not been free of scandals, Hunter Biden, the son of the former U.S. president, claimed that Melania Trump met her husband through sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. In response, the First Lady threatened to sue Hunter for over $1 billion. The letter from her lawyers also demanded that he retract the statement and apologize. According to American media, this initially forced Hunter Biden to back down and cease making such statements.
However, later in an interview for the YouTube show Channel 5, Hunter claimed that, in his opinion, “these threats of a lawsuit are nothing more than a deliberate distraction.” He noted that if the lawsuit proceeds, he could obtain testimony from both Trumps, and he “is more than happy to provide them with such an opportunity.”
To avoid reputational risks, Melania Trump instructed her lawyers to immediately take action against any platform or individual publishing “false information” or “defamatory” content about her in connection with the convicted sex offender Epstein.
An unexpected ally for Ukraine
Melania Trump expressed her support for Ukraine as early as 2022. In a social media post, she called for support of the humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In August 2025, the First Lady wrote a letter to Putin, which her husband personally delivered during a meeting in Alaska. By October, Melania Trump announced that eight Ukrainian children were reunited with their families following negotiations with the Russian dictator.
Speaking to journalists at the White House, she stated that Putin responded to her letter, after which an “open channel of communication” was established regarding the welfare of these children.
From the start of her advocacy until the end of 2025, fifteen children returned to Ukraine, including seven minors reunited with their families in December.
In February 2026, Melania Trump helped, for the third time, to return children abducted by Russia to their families. The exact number of Ukrainian children who have returned from Russia is not yet known. The First Lady’s office stated that work is ongoing, with negotiations taking place simultaneously with both Ukrainian and Russian sides.
The story also gained attention when U.S. President Donald Trump recounted how his wife pointed out Putin’s hypocrisy regarding ending the war in Ukraine.
“I come home and tell the First Lady: ‘I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a great conversation.’ She replies: ‘Really? Another city in Ukraine was just attacked,’” Donald Trump recounted.
Political observers do not rule out that her attention to Ukraine may be related to the fact that Melania Trump is Slovenian and grew up in the former Yugoslavia, and therefore cares about European issues. This may also demonstrate her ambitious plans — to strengthen her role as an influential political figure.
