Melania Trump to speak at National Archives event swearing in new US citizens
By Jack Forrest, CNN
(CNN) — Former first lady Melania Trump is set to speak at a National Archives ceremony next week to swear in new US citizens, according to a news release from the agency.
Melania Trump, who herself became a US citizen in 2006, will speak at the December 15 event on Bill of Rights Day along with US Archivist Colleen Shogan as 25 people from 25 countries are sworn in to become new American citizens.
“As a naturalized citizen herself, Mrs. Trump looks forward to telling her story and being part of this momentous occasion for these new American citizens,” her office said in a statement.
The former first lady’s expected appearance will mark her latest public outing amid the presidential bid by her husband, former President Donald Trump, who holds a complicated relationship with the document archival agency.
Last week, Melania Trump made a rare public appearance as she joined current first lady Jill Biden and former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton at the memorial service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter in Georgia.
The Slovenian-born former first lady has largely avoided the public eye since Donald Trump exited the White House in January 2021, save for her husband’s presidential announcement last year. A source close to the former first lady has told CNN most of her focus remains on their son, Barron, who is expected to graduate high school in Florida next year.
The National Archives landed in the spotlight last year after it asked the Department of Justice to investigate Trump’s handling of White House records. The former president has pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Smith added three additional counts in a superseding indictment.
In May, on the same day Shogan began leading the National Archives, CNN reported that the agency would hand over to Smith 16 records showing Donald Trump and his top advisers had knowledge of the correct declassification process while he was president, multiple sources told CNN at the time. And a month later, the National Archives took the rare step of releasing a public statement rebuking claims suggesting Donald Trump was allowed to keep classified materials under the Presidential Records Act.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Jamie Gangel, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez, Paula Reid and Elizabeth Stuart contributed to this report.
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