Melania Trump Honored for Global Children’s Advocacy
The first lady, in accepting ‘Patriot of the Year,’ talks about how innovation is inherent in American culture.
Melania Trump applauded American innovators on Thursday during a 7-minute acceptance speech for the “Patriot of the Year” award bestowed on her by Fox Nation during its annual Patriot Awards in Greenvale, New York.
The first lady was honored for her efforts in global children’s advocacy. Some of the work Mrs. Trump has engaged in on behalf of children since returning to the White House includes reunifying eight children and their families displaced by the Russia-Ukraine conflict; launching the Fostering the Future Together initiative during the United Nations General Assembly, a global coalition advancing education and technology for kids; launching America’s Presidential AI Challenge to help advance the burgeoning technology safely; securing $25 million in federal funds to provide housing support for youth who have experienced foster care; and championing the Take It Down Act, bipartisan legislation signed into law, which targets sextortion, revenge porn and outlaws the use of AI-generated deepfakes.
She took the opportunity to “celebrate everyone who dares to think differently” because, she said, such innovative Americans are the heartbeat of civilization.
“Trust me, I know a little bit about challenging convention,” she said.
She went on to speak about how patriotism in the United States dates back to its founders who fought against British rule and sought independence. She described how the founders defied expectations, politically and intellectually, sharing a common trait—reinventing how things work. Specifically, she spoke of Benjamin Franklin flying his kite in a lightning storm as the original innovator in science and technology; Thomas Jefferson as a pioneer of architecture and design; and Alexander Hamilton, who laid the foundation for the nation’s banking system.
She also spoke of modern day innovators in Silicon Valley, the nation’s space program, the railroad system, Artificial Intelligence and cultural disruptors in art and music before pivoting to what she called her “new favorite frontier—the silver screen.”
“The silver screen and I have been in deep conversation lately. You may have heard the news—I produced a new film with Amazon MGM named Melania,” she said.
She shared that the idea came to her shortly after the presidential election last year. The film, she said, captures 20 days of her life leading up to the second inauguration of her husband, Donald Trump.
“Twenty intense days of transformation—from private citizen to first lady—balancing my business, my philanthropy—Fostering the Future—building my East Wing team and the White House staff, and, of course, caring for my family,” she said.
Mrs. Trump went on saying that her forthcoming film due out in January 2026 provides a snapshot into a defining moment in history, effectively pointing to, perhaps, her own innovative cultural contribution.
“But what’s equally powerful is its ripple effect,” she said. “My single vision united photographers, filmmakers, music makers, writers, and creative visionaries across New York, Palm Beach, D.C., and L.A., leading to an impactful bi-coastal collaboration—driving job growth and impact far beyond the screen.”
In closing, Mrs. Trump spoke of breakthroughs that begin from one person “daring to imagine what’s never been done.”
“Those who produce, give. They create employment, tools, knowledge, and eventually cities,” she said. “So America, tonight, let’s make a personal pledge to celebrate ambition and scale imagination to create a more advanced and prosperous society. Individual productivity is not selfish. It’s the heartbeat of civilization.”
Limited Public Tours of the White House to Resume in December
Public tours at the White House will resume just in time for a limited viewing of the annual Christmas decorations.
The White House announced last week that it will reopen its doors for public tours on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, with an “updated route” offering visitors in December to view the White House Christmas decorations on the State Floor.
“The decorations in each room will be thoughtfully designed and curated under the direction of First Lady Melania Trump,” the White House said in a statement.
In the past, tourists would enter the White House through the East Wing, which housed the Office of the First Lady. The East Wing was torn down beginning on October 20 to make way for President Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot, privately-funded, $300 million ballroom. Public tours have been paused since August.
Instead, visitors will enter through the North Portico, Nick Clemens, communications director for Mrs. Trump told USA Today. He also added that the public will not be able to visit the ground floor where the Vermeil Room, the China Room and the library are located because they are now being used by the first lady’s office.
Congressional offices may resume submitting tour requests for their constituents on Monday, November 3, 2025. Tour availabilities for December 2025 will open 30 days prior to each potential tour date. Tour availabilities for January 2026 are slated to be made available to congressional offices sometime in December, the White House said in a statement. For more information about public tours of the White House, members of the public are encouraged to contact their member of Congress or visit whitehouse.gov/visit.
Envision, As Some Did, What the White House Could Have Looked Like
The White House Historical Association has released its newest issue of White House History Quarterly examining the “White House That Wasn’t.”
Articles delve into ideas and events that almost, might have, or surely didn’t happen. And, it begins in 1791 when the new Federal City on the banks of the Potomac existed only on paper. If the President’s House had been built exactly as specified by city planner Pierre (“Peter”) Charles L’Enfant in his Plan of the City Intended for the Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States, it would have been at least five times the size it was ultimately built by James Hoban. But what would L’Enfant’s house have looked like? This question and more are explored in the 79th issue of White House History Quarterly.
Articles in this issue include:
Foreword: What Could Have Been – Marcia Mallet Anderson
With Brushstrokes on Canvas an Artist Reveals L’Enfant’s Unrealized Plan for the President’s House – What would L’Enfant’s White House design have looked like? The mystery inspired 21st century artist Peter Waddell to envision, with brushstrokes on canvas, the President’s House that was never built. A conversation with Waddell about his ambitious panoramic painting, The Indispensable Plan, opens this issue.
A White House, But Not Only – The focus on the appearance of the house is continued by architectural historian Kyle Dugdale who reminds us that White House is not only white. The colors of the stone beneath the paint, he explains, vary in shade “from a pale tan to a dark rusty tint, streaked with buff, yellow, and red.”
President Washington’s Germantown White House: Philadelphia’s Yellow Fever Pandemic Leads to the Establishment of a Temporary President’s House – And not only is the White House not only white, the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is not the only home and office of the American presidents. Professor Alan Capps takes us to a President’s House in Germantown, Pennsylvania, a refuge for President George Washington from Philadelphia’s deadly yellow fever epidemic of 1793 that wasn’t the President’s House for long.
Presidential Sites Feature: Scotland’s White House, President Eisenhower, and Culzean Castle - Author Sarah M. G. Mackay takes us to another President’s House: the top floor of the 12th century Culzean Castle. Given to General Dwight D. Eisenhower by the people of Scotland in appreciation for his service as supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, “Scotland’s White House,” provided a place of rest and relaxation for Dwight D. Eisenhower before, during, and after his presidency.
Not Made for the White House: Steinway #500,000 – There are more than 50,000 objects in the White House fine and decorative arts collection, but many more objects offered, considered, or intended were ultimately never acquired. Former White House Curator William G. Allman tells the story an offer declined when Steinway and Sons proposed to give its no. 500,000 custom-designed grand piano to the White House.
The Henry Clay Gothic Revival Bedroom Suite: Made for a Whig White House That Wasn’t – Meanwhile, author Lauren McGwin traces the history of a ten-piece Gothic Revival bedroom suite that was never to be used at the White House.
The Madison White House Christmas Tree that Wasn’t – There are many known firsts in White House history, but Professor John Hutton reminds us that there could be others as he explores the possibility that the first White House Christmas tree might have been decorated more than 70 years earlier generally believed.
The Myth of the White House Tigers: Martin Van Buren’s Pets That Weren’t – Katie Hatton explores and discounts the myth that President Martin Van Buren received two tiger cubs from Kabul al Said, the sultan of Oman. The fact that there was never a sultan of Oman named “Kabul al Said,” is just the beginning of Hatton’s argument.
When America Was Without a Vice President—And No One Seemed to Notice –Frederic J. Frommer reminds us there were many years when America was without a vice president, and that before the passage of the 25th amendment detailed the process for the filling of a vice presidential vacancy, the position was vacant for a total of nearly 40 years. It is not a subject that has often been mentioned in the Quarterly, perhaps because as Frommer observes, no one seemed to notice.
Reflections: First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s Unfinished Legacy in White House China – Stewart D. McLaurin closes the issue with an exploration of what the Kennedy’s State Service may have looked like if was seen to fruition.
The Weekly Wrap
The Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
Semafor
Michael Wolff Crowdfunds War Chest to Pursue Melania Trump
Nov. 6, 2025 — The Trump family chronicler/nemesis Michael Wolff has raised nearly half a million dollars for a lawsuit against First Lady Melania Trump.
East Wing Magazine
Barbara Bush’s Family Literacy Mission to Continue in New Initiative
Nov. 6, 2025 — After more than 35 years, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the nonprofit established by the former first lady that has raised and provided more than $130 million in support to literacy programs in every state including the District of Columbia, is coming to a close.
But, Mrs. Bush’s literacy mission continues. Read more
East Wing Magazine
Michelle Obama: ‘I’m Lost’
Nov. 5, 2025 — Speaking out for the first time about the torn down White House East Wing, former First Lady Michelle Obama describes feeling “lost” in response to questions about its demolition in an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Tuesday while promoting her newly released book The Look. Read more
People
Michelle Obama Reveals Words Her Mom Said Before Her Death
Nov. 5, 2025 — Michelle Obama says she had the ultimate role model for aging: her own mother, the late Marian Robinson.
Obama, 61, appeared on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at People Inc.’s exclusive in-person event at People Inc. headquarters in New York City, where she spoke to her friend La La Anthony about her new book, The Look, which came out Nov. 4. During the event, Obama recalled one of the final conversations she had with her mother, who died at age 86 in 2024. Read more
BBC
Martha Washington to Melania Trump: How US First Ladies Through History Have Harnessed the Power of Fashion
Nov. 5, 2025 — As Michelle Obama’s The Look is published, we dissect first-lady fashion through the decades. From “mother of the nation” to FLOTUS fashionistas, what have their unique styles signaled about themselves, their role and their eras? Read more
Vanity Fair
Michelle Obama’s Longtime Stylist, Meredith Koop, Reflects on the First Lady’s Style From the White House to Now
Nov. 4, 2025 — Meredith Koop has been the one responsible for creating everlasting memories of Michelle Obama’s style since 2010, following Barack Obama’s swearing-in as the 44th president of the United States. At a time when all eyes were on the now former first family, particularly because they were the first Black family in the White House, it was Koop who helped to change the conversation, one look at a time. Read more
Instagram
Jenna Bush Hager Wishes Her Mom, Former First Lady Laura Bush, Happy Birthday
Nov. 4, 2025 — Former First Lady Laura Bush turned 79 on Nov. 4 and her daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, shared a new photo and a happy birthday greeting. View here
The Guardian
One Way to Redefine the First Lady Role: Demolish Melania’s Office to Build a Folly
Nov. 3, 2025 — From Eleanor Roosevelt to Melania Trump, the East Wing of the White House served as a base for first ladies. It was where Michelle Obama spearheaded her Let’s Move public health campaign and where Nancy Reagan and her staff worked on the Just Say No drug awareness initiative. Read more