Melania Trump not seen at RNC through first three days, will she appear Thursday?
Multiple Trump family members have made appearances and speeches at the Republican National Convention, with one notable exception: Melania.
The Republican nominee's spouse has been conspicuously absent from the floor of Fiserv Forum, mirroring a pattern seen on the campaign trail.
USA TODAY reported Sunday that Melania is planning to appear at the convention at some point but did not appear Wednesday, when Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) accepted the party's vice presidential nomination and when Donald Trump Jr.'s daughter, Kai Trump, made her political debut.
Melania's last public statement came in the wake of an assassination attempt on her husband Saturday, though she has not said anything publicly outside of the statement.
The Republican National Convention is in Milwaukee through Thursday where former President Donald Trump on Thursday will formally accept the party’s nomination for the 2024 Election.
USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network have more than 60 journalists on the ground in Milwaukee and you can follow along with our live blog for updates throughout the day.
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Where was Melania Trump at the Republican National Convention?
The former first lady was absent during the first three nights of the convention, even as Trump was formally nominated for President by the Republican party.
Spouses of Republican presidential candidates are typically present and give a speech during the convention, and her absence thus far is a break in a long tradition.
She previously spoke during Republican National Conventions in both 2020 and in 2016, when she gave a speech with sections that appeared to be remarkably similar to a speech former First Lady Michelle Obama gave at the Democratic National Convention eight years earlier.
Melania Trump issues statement after assassination attempt
In a statement issued Sunday, the day after an attempted assassination on Trump at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the former first lady thanked Secret Service agents for protecting her husband and called on Americans to "ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence."
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she wrote in a statement.
She criticized the "monster" who attempted the assassination. The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks and was killed by law enforcement officials moments after shots were fired.
Has Melania Trump been campaigning with Trump?
The former First Lady has been rarely seen on the campaign trail this year, although she has appeared at private events including closed fundraisers and was spotted with Trump at a polling place for the Florida primary in March.
"Stay tuned," she said when asked about her return to the campaign trail, USA TODAY previously reported.
She has also been absent from primary victory celebrations, as well as Trump's hush money trial in New York, where he was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Contributing: Rebecca Morin, David Jackson and Rachel Barber, USA TODAY.