Jill Biden says Melania Trump declined tea invite
First lady Jill Biden said incoming first lady Melania Trump declined her invitation for tea, according to a report in The Washington Post.
Biden reportedly extended the invitation to have tea at the White House, as is customary for incoming and outgoing first ladies during the presidential transition.
But Trump declined, according to the Post, which published a lengthy profile of the outgoing first lady Wednesday.
Biden noted in the interview conducted Jan. 5 that she followed up with Melania Trump in a note, which she passed along to President-elect Trump when they saw each other at the reopening of the Notre Dame in December.
“I congratulated her and I offered help,” Biden said of the note, according to the Post.
Biden did not hear back from her until they spoke briefly at former President Carter’s state funeral last week, when Melania Trump thanked the first lady.
The Hill reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
The customary White House tea meeting is not the only tradition first ladies are skipping during this transition.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will not be attending the inauguration next week. She also skipped Carter’s state funeral, which would have had her seated next to the incoming president, citing a “scheduling conflict.”
At the state funeral, former second lady Karen Pence garnered some attention when she stayed seated as the president-elect approached her vicinity. Her husband, former Vice President Mike Pence, shook his hand.
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