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First lady Melania Trump attends the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee July 18, 2024. (© Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
First lady Melania Trump, wife of President Trump and mother of their son Barron, is a successful model, businesswoman, author and children’s advocate.
Born in Slovenia, she moved to New York in 1996 and became a U.S. citizen 10 years later. Trump is the second U.S. first lady born outside of the United States and the first U.S. first lady to become a naturalized citizen.
At a young age, Trump began a successful modeling career that would include appearances in many high-profile ad campaigns. As a businesswoman, she launched the Melania Trump Timepieces and Jewelry collection. And her philanthropic work includes serving as a goodwill ambassador for the American Red Cross.
As first lady from 2017–2021, Trump focused on issues affecting children. Her BE BEST initiative, established in 2018, promotes the well-being of children and highlights programs dedicated to a better future for the next generation. She also engaged with the U.S. military and their families, traveling to U.S. military bases domestically and overseas. Her 2024 memoir, MELANIA, reached number one on the New York Times‘ best sellers list.
This biography is adapted from one on whitehouse.gov.
Meet first lady Melania Trump
Usha Vance, wife of JD Vance, speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (© Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Second lady Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance and the mother of their three children — sons Ewan and Vivek and daughter Mirabel — is an experienced litigator in a variety of industries.
A San Diego native, Usha Vance met her husband while they were attending Yale Law School. She also earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge.
She clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, of the U.S. Supreme Court, and for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, when he was on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before that, she clerked for Judge Amul Thapar, then of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
In her free time, Vance serves as a trustee of the Washington National Opera and has served as secretary of the board of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Meet second lady Usha Vance
Vice President JD Vance takes the oath of office alongside his wife Usha Vance at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 20. (© Kevin Lamarque/AP)
Vice President JD Vance is a U.S. military veteran, successful investor, best-selling author and most recently, a U.S. senator from Ohio.
Born and raised in the once-flourishing manufacturing town of Middletown, Ohio, Vance faced a challenging childhood marked by financial struggles, family instability, his mother’s battle with addiction and his father’s absence. His grandparents, including his Mamaw (grandmother), filled the void with unwavering support and guidance.
After graduating from Middletown High School, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served for four years with a tour in Iraq. Returning home, he attended Ohio State University using the GI Bill. There, his academic excellence earned him a spot at Yale Law School.
In 2022, Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he championed issues such as securing the U.S. southern border, revitalizing American manufacturing and fighting for the prosperity of working-class families nationwide.
After law school, Vance found success as an investor in startups across the Midwest, and as the author of the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which gave voice to millions of Americans across the heartland. He and his wife Usha met in law school and have three children.
Meet Vice President JD Vance
President Donald J. Trump, seen in a 2019 portrait for Time Magazine by Pari Dukovic, is a successful businessman who won a second term as president. (© Pari Dukovic/National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)
President Donald J. Trump is returning to the White House as the 47th president to build upon his previous successes, unleash the American economy, and afford all Americans the opportunity to pursue their versions of the American dream.
In his first administration, as America’s 45th president, Trump achieved U.S. energy independence, launched the Space Force, achieved a major breakthrough for Middle East peace and secured U.S. borders.
Trump won the presidency following his first campaign for any public office, and his public service builds on his successes in private life. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance, Trump followed in his father’s footsteps into real estate development, making his mark in New York City. He believes in the exceptionalism of the American spirit and wants to see the United States succeed.
An accomplished author, Trump has written numerous bestsellers. His first book, The Art of the Deal, is considered a business classic. He has five children: Barron, Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany, as well as 10 grandchildren.
Donald J. Trump: America’s new president
(© Alex Brandon/AP)
President-elect Donald J. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, are greeted by President Biden and first lady Jill Biden upon arriving at the White House on the morning of January 20. The couples drank tea together before sharing a limousine to go to the U.S. Capitol, where Trump — having served an earlier, nonconsecutive term as 45th president — would be sworn in again, as the 47th president.
Donald Trump takes the oath of office administered by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds two Bibles (one given to Trump as a boy by his mother and the other used by Abraham Lincoln to take the oath in 1861).
The January 20 ceremony — the 60th presidential inauguration — was moved on short notice due to cold weather from outside to inside the Capitol Rotunda.
The new vice president, JD Vance, was sworn in by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
After taking the oath, President Trump embraces his wife, Melania, and basks in the congratulatory applause of his children.
President Trump gives the inaugural address, a traditional speech by a newly sworn-in president. He speaks for a longer time than he did at his 2017 inauguration and nods to the fact that this year the inauguration coincides with the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday. He also refers to his historic political comeback — saying, “In America, the impossible is what we do best” — and outlines policy plans and an optimistic vision of the coming four years.
Low temperatures and a frozen layer of snow on the ground forced events indoors. But the “indoor parade” at the Capital One Arena — where Washington’s professional basketball and hockey teams play — gave the youngsters in Vice President Vance’s family a chance to enjoy the entertainment … and stretch a bit. From left are second lady Usha Vance; two of the Vance children, Mirabel and Ewan; Vice President Vance; Vivek Vance; and President Trump.
At left, this marching band — one of several from around the country that had worked hard on its parade routine for the inauguration — is able to strut its stuff indoors at the Capital One Arena, to the delight of the 20,000 people who packed the seats to celebrate with the newly sworn-in president and vice president. At right, after the events of the day, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump, having donned formal attire, greet their supporters at the Liberty Ball, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump dance next to Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the Liberty Ball, one of many held around the city of Washington on the evening of Inauguration Day. The first couple attended several balls, including the Commander in Chief Ball, where they paid tribute to the nation’s military.
Images of Trump’s second inauguration [photo gallery]
This is one of a series of stories about presidential inaugural traditions. The other stories are about the site of the inauguration, the shifting date, the inaugural speech and the parade.
Every four years, roughly 75 days after Americans elect their next president, the incumbent’s term ends and the new president’s term begins with a daylong presidential inauguration.
There are many, many traditions that date back to George Washington’s first inauguration in 1789, and a handful have stood the test of time. Traditions evolve, of course, and recent presidents have started some that speak to their modern times.
One tradition is 215 years old and involves a lot of dancing. During Inauguration Day evening, the president may host an inaugural ball — though it is not required by law or the Constitution. These dances are a way to wrap up the festivities before the work of a new administration begins.
Dolley Madison began the tradition by throwing an 1809 party after her husband, James Madison, was sworn in. More than 400 people attended the ball, held at Mr. Long’s Hotel in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. This first ball, and many after it, were held at Washington area hotels. (The White House could not accommodate the large numbers of guests.)
As invitation lists grew, new presidents began to host multiple balls throughout the city. Ronald Reagan famously attended eight balls on the evening of his inauguration. He also is the president who held the most state dinners.
Inaugural traditions: Dancing in the evening
This is one of a series of stories about presidential inaugural traditions. The other stories are about the site of the inauguration, the inaugural address, the shifting date and inaugural balls.
One long-standing tradition is the inaugural parade. After the inaugural ceremony and luncheon at the Capitol building, presidents and their spouses — and vice presidents with their spouses — proceed to the White House.
The procession has become a parade, a tradition that began with Thomas Jefferson’s second inauguration in 1805, when he traveled on horseback, westward to the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue. Since then, most presidents have followed the same route, greeting onlookers and hosting a parade.
Some parades have been lavish — Grover Cleveland’s in 1885 took three hours and featured 25,000 participants — while others have been more modest — Nixon’s 1969 parade featured fewer military groups than usual because of the Vietnam War.
In 1977, Jimmy Carter nixed the car ride and walked the 3.2 kilometers from the Capitol to the White House. Since Carter’s inauguration, for the past 50 years, presidents have walked at least part, if not all, of the way along Pennsylvania Avenue, smiling and waving to onlookers.
Inaugural traditions: The parade along Pennsylvania Avenue
This is one of a series of stories about presidential inaugural traditions. The other stories are about the site of the swearing-in, the shifting date, the parade along Pennsylvania Avenue and inaugural balls.
All presidents have chosen to give a speech. After taking the oath, the president addresses the inauguration crowd and, in modern times, Americans watching on television. The new president then delivers an inaugural address to outline his goals and set the tone for the incoming administration.
The average speech is 2,300 words and lasts 20 to 30 minutes. George Washington — known for his quiet manner and dislike of public speaking — gave the shortest speech in 1793 as he began his second term. He spoke 135 words.
In 1841, William Henry Harrison gave the longest inaugural address — more than 8,000 words. (He contracted pneumonia, which some medical experts have attributed to his standing outside for two hours. He died just one month into his presidential term, and his vice president, John Tyler, succeeded him.)
Inaugural traditions: The president’s speech
The crowd assembled both outside and atop the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905. (Library of Congress/G.V. Buck)
This is one in a series of stories about presidential inaugural traditions. The other stories are about the shifting date, the inaugural address, the parade and inaugural balls.
One change that has occurred over time is where the inauguration is held. For over 200 years, the new president has mostly taken the oath of office on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol building.
During the country’s early years, George Washington and John Adams were inaugurated in Philadelphia, while the construction of the Capitol Building in Washington was still underway.
Beginning with Thomas Jefferson, the president has been sworn in at the Capitol. Jefferson took the oath of office inside the building. It was Andrew Jackson in 1829 whose inauguration was first held outside on the Capitol’s east portico, a tradition that held for many subsequent presidential inaugurations.
But that changed in 1981, when Ronald Reagan wanted to accommodate the growing number of onlookers who wished to attend the ceremony. He moved the swearing-in ceremony to the west portico of the building, where it has remained since, with the exception of Reagan’s second inauguration. That ceremony was moved inside the building because of unusually low temperatures.
Inaugural traditions: The place where a president takes the oath
This is one in a series of stories about presidential inaugural traditions. The other stories are about the site of the inauguration, the inaugural address, the parade and inaugural balls.
For example, the date and time of the inauguration were once different than they are today.
Until the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1933, Inauguration Day was March 4. (In earlier days, a president, vice president and the new Cabinet members needed a fair amount of time to move to Washington.)
Since 1937, new presidents have been sworn in on January 20. Despite the winter weather, it is a day filled with events.
At exactly noon Washington time, on January 20, the new president takes the oath of office. The short oath (just 35 words) is administered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. The president repeats these words after the justice: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
During the oath, the president places his hand on a Bible. George Washington began that tradition in 1789, and most presidents have followed suit, though they can choose another book (John Quincy Adams, for example, swore his oath on a law book).
At that moment, the president-elect officially becomes president of the United States.
Several presidents have taken their oaths on their own family Bibles while others have used their predecessors’. Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013, and Donald J. Trump in 2017, used Abraham Lincoln’s family Bible.
Inaugural traditions: Does the date shift?
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