section_path: First tenure as First Lady of the United States (2017–2021)/First lady in Manhattan
section_name: First lady in Manhattan
paragraph_text: First lady in Manhattan
  
  After Donald's inauguration as president on January 20, 2017, Melania announced that she would not move to Washington, D.C. with him, instead staying in Manhattan so Barron could finish the school year there. Remaining in New York also allowed her to introduce her son to the White House gradually so as not to overwhelm him. According to biographer Mary Jordan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist, "Melania also used this time to negotiate new terms for her prenuptial agreement with Donald to reflect the changes in their lives since it was signed and to ensure that Barron would receive a suitable inheritance." Through a spokesperson, Melania dismissed Jordan's entire book as a work of fiction.
  
  Melania was the second foreign-born woman to hold the title of first lady after Louisa Adams, who was born in England, and Melania was the first naturalized citizen to hold the title. She has said that she can speak English, Italian, French, and German in addition to her native Slovene, but in public she has only spoken English and Slovene. She was also the second Roman Catholic first lady of the United States, after Jacqueline Kennedy.
  
  Melania's absence from the White House caused speculation that her stepdaughter Ivanka would serve as an acting first lady. As time went by, members of the administration's staff like her assistant, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, grew unhappy with Melania's absence, as it gave the impression of marital issues and prevented her from exercising a calming influence over the president. She also stoked resentment among many of the people in New York, who predominantly opposed the Trumps, because of the costs and traffic issues caused by the Secret Service presence. The Secret Service itself also faced logistical issues from the repeated travel to New York. Having a Secret Service detail was not a major adjustment for Melania though, as she had spent years around her husband's security team. She was given the Secret Service code name "Muse" to go along with the president's name "Mogul". Being first lady came with another drawback for Melania, as she was expected to speak on serious topics such as immigration policy and had little control over how her media appearances were handled, which was a different experience than she had as a model.
  
  When the Trump administration's White House website was posted, Melania's biographical information caused controversy because it listed her jewelry business. Though it had already ceased operation, critics alleged that it was an attempt to promote her business with government resources. Another allegation of attempting to profit from her role as first lady came up in February, when she sued the Daily Mail for libel after it alleged in 2016 that she had worked for an escort agency. The suit was initially for lost career opportunities, but this was changed to emotional distress when she received questions about why she expected to have career opportunities as first lady.
  
  On March 8, 2017, Melania hosted her first White House event, a luncheon for International Women's Day. She spoke to an audience of women about her life as a female immigrant and about working towards gender equality both domestically and abroad, noting the role of education as a tool against gender inequality. The Trumps visited Vatican City in May 2017. As Melania was visiting as a Roman Catholic, Pope Francis blessed her rosary beads, and she placed flowers at the feet of a statue of the Madonna at the Vatican's Bambino Gesù children's hospital.
  
  The first major public attention Melania received was after an incident in May 2017 while the Trumps were visiting Israel. Donald had forgotten that Melania was by his side when he was walking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she fell behind from the group. Humiliated, she slapped away his hand when he reached out behind him to grab hers. This was the first time press coverage of Melania took notice of an independent streak.
  
  After Donald's inauguration as president on January 20, 2017, Melania announced that she would not move to Washington, D.C. with him, instead staying in Manhattan so Barron could finish the school year there. Remaining in New York also allowed her to introduce her son to the White House gradually so as not to overwhelm him. According to biographer Mary Jordan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist, "Melania also used this time to negotiate new terms for her prenuptial agreement with Donald to reflect the changes in their lives since it was signed and to ensure that Barron would receive a suitable inheritance." Through a spokesperson, Melania dismissed Jordan's entire book as a work of fiction.
  
  Melania was the second foreign-born woman to hold the title of first lady after Louisa Adams, who was born in England, and Melania was the first naturalized citizen to hold the title. She has said that she can speak English, Italian, French, and German in addition to her native Slovene, but in public she has only spoken English and Slovene. She was also the second Roman Catholic first lady of the United States, after Jacqueline Kennedy.
  
  Melania's absence from the White House caused speculation that her stepdaughter Ivanka would serve as an acting first lady. As time went by, members of the administration's staff like her assistant, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, grew unhappy with Melania's absence, as it gave the impression of marital issues and prevented her from exercising a calming influence over the president. She also stoked resentment among many of the people in New York, who predominantly opposed the Trumps, because of the costs and traffic issues caused by the Secret Service presence. The Secret Service itself also faced logistical issues from the repeated travel to New York. Having a Secret Service detail was not a major adjustment for Melania though, as she had spent years around her husband's security team. She was given the Secret Service code name "Muse" to go along with the president's name "Mogul". Being first lady came with another drawback for Melania, as she was expected to speak on serious topics such as immigration policy and had little control over how her media appearances were handled, which was a different experience than she had as a model.
  
  When the Trump administration's White House website was posted, Melania's biographical information caused controversy because it listed her jewelry business. Though it had already ceased operation, critics alleged that it was an attempt to promote her business with government resources. Another allegation of attempting to profit from her role as first lady came up in February, when she sued the Daily Mail for libel after it alleged in 2016 that she had worked for an escort agency. The suit was initially for lost career opportunities, but this was changed to emotional distress when she received questions about why she expected to have career opportunities as first lady.
  
  On March 8, 2017, Melania hosted her first White House event, a luncheon for International Women's Day. She spoke to an audience of women about her life as a female immigrant and about working towards gender equality both domestically and abroad, noting the role of education as a tool against gender inequality. The Trumps visited Vatican City in May 2017. As Melania was visiting as a Roman Catholic, Pope Francis blessed her rosary beads, and she placed flowers at the feet of a statue of the Madonna at the Vatican's Bambino Gesù children's hospital.
  
  The first major public attention Melania received was after an incident in May 2017 while the Trumps were visiting Israel. Donald had forgotten that Melania was by his side when he was walking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she fell behind from the group. Humiliated, she slapped away his hand when he reached out behind him to grab hers. This was the first time press coverage of Melania took notice of an independent streak.