Melania Trump Makes Rare Campaign Trail Appearance to Cast Her Ballot, Teases More Publicity Ahead: ‘Stay Tuned’

Melania Trump is hinting that she may return to the spotlight as the presidential election draws nearer.

While the former first lady has been decidedly absent from the bulk of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign appearances, she publicly appeared alongside him on Tuesday to cast her presidential primary ballot at a Palm Beach, Florida, polling place.

The ceremonial outing delivered an important couple's photo op for the Trump campaign, whose most notable joint appearance in recent months was at the funeral of Melania's mother, Amalija Knavs. Melania has not attended any of her husband's court hearings, and according to CNN, was not even present at her husband's Super Tuesday watch party at Mar-a-Lago, where they live.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday if she planned to take a more active role on the campaign trail, 53-year-old Melania offered a simple response: "Stay tuned."

As sources told PEOPLE last year, Melania initially had no plans to be involved in her husband's third White House campaign — particularly as the former president dealt with the legal fallout of an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

"Melania is not now or hasn't recently taken part in her husband's political events," a source told PEOPLE last April. "It is not comfortable for her."

But the former first lady's suggestion that she may become more publicly supportive comes at a time when her husband is now almost certain to be the Republican nominee for president, having won more than half the GOP delegates in the presidential primary race.

As another source recently told PEOPLE, Melania is often present when she's needed but prefers to stay away from larger campaign rallies and gatherings — including ones held at the couple's Mar-a-Lago home.

“Melania dislikes a petting zoo,” the source said. “She goes when she has to but if it’s not essential she prefers to stay out of the public eye. When an event is packed full of campaigning types and crowds of people even at Mar-a-Lago, she tries to opt out.”

Melania began this year on a "journey of loss and grief," after her mother, Amalija, died in January at age 78. More recently, she has been focused on looking at colleges for her only son, Barron Trump, who turned 18 on Wednesday.

Donald's daughter Ivanka has also been noticeably absent from the 2024 campaign trail, and said publicly in 2022 that she planned to stay out of politics "moving forward."

Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, served as senior advisers to President Trump during his term in office from January 2017 to 2021.

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