Melania Trump to make rare public appearance with naturalization ceremony speech at National Archives

In a rare public appearance, former first lady Melania Trump will deliver remarks during a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in Washington on Friday.

The event, during which 25 immigrants will be sworn in as US citizens, comes nearly two years after the National Archives and Record Administration asked the Justice Department to investigate her husband’s handling of White House records. The probe led to an indictment of former President Donald Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges. The trial in this case is expected to start in Florida in May.

Despite this, a source close to the former president insisted that he was supportive of her decision to take part in the event.

Melania Trump – who became a US citizen in 2006 and is only the second foreign-born first lady – is slated to speak with US Archivist Colleen Shogan during her visit. Shogan personally invited Trump to speak at the ceremony, a spokesperson for the National Archives told CNN. The two women met while Shogan was at the White House Historical Association during Melania Trump’s tenure as first lady and worked together on a number of projects.

“As a naturalized citizen herself, Mrs. Trump looks forward to telling her story and being part of this momentous occasion for these new American citizens,” her office said in a statement when the appearance was announced.

A source familiar with the circumstances said that Melania Trump considered the invitation “an honor.”

The appearance will come as Donald Trump has pledged a widespread expansion of hardline immigration policies if elected again in 2024 that would restrict both legal and illegal immigration.

Melania Trump has largely avoided the public eye since leaving Washington in January 2021, even as her husband pursues the White House term.

While Melania Trump has chosen a different path than many of her predecessors, she stepped into a more traditional former first lady role last month, joining current first lady Jill Biden and former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton to pay tribute to the late Rosalynn Carter in Georgia. It is common for sitting and former first ladies to attend the funerals of former first ladies.

Melania Trump also attended her husband’s presidential announcement last November, but she has not joined him for any other public campaign events or his multiple court appearances since. Still, sources familiar with their relationship told CNN she supports her husband’s decision to run for president – but stressed that most of her focus remains on their son, Barron, who is expected to graduate high school in Florida next year.

“He has my support, and we look forward to restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength,” she said during a May interview with Fox News.

In September, Donald Trump suggested his wife might join him on the campaign trail in the near future.

“When it’s appropriate, but pretty soon,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press when asked when his wife would start campaigning with him. “She’s a private person, a great person, a very confident person and she loves our country very much. … And honestly, I like to keep her away from it. It’s so nasty and so mean.”