
Melania Trump to make rare White House appearances. How to watch
Where's Melania Trump?
The first lady is not in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 8, as she is scheduled to make a couple of public appearances at the White House in Washington, D.C.
At noon eastern, Trump will host the Celebration of Military Mothers in the East Room of the White House. The president is expected to join the first lady, according to his press schedule.
At 4 p.m. ET, Melania Trump will speak at the unveiling of a U.S. Postal Service stamp honoring former First Lady Barbara Bush.
She has only made a handful of public remarks since her husband returned to office, making May 8 a busy day in her role as first lady.
Here is how to tune in:
Who is FLOTUS? What to know about Melania Trump
The Office of the First Lady did not immediately respond to questions about where the remarks would be available.
However, the White House YouTube channel is likely to post the event, as it has in previous years.
C-SPAN is scheduled to broadcast the ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
Melania Trump has used much of her public airtime in this presidency to endorse and lobby for the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes nonconsensual, explicit images created by artificial intelligence, often known as deepfakes.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, Congress passed it with near-unanimous approval.
"It's heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes," Melania Trump said on March 3 while lobbying for the legislation.
Otherwise, she has only made a handful of public appearances since Jan. 20, 2025. She spoke at the International Women of Courage Awards, attended Pope Francis' funeral (the same day as her 55th birthday), and helped host the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: LIVE: Melania honors military moms, Barbara Bush ahead of Mother's Day
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cuomo's bridge lights hit the auction block
ALBANY, New York — The saga of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's bridge-lighting boondoggle is finally drawing to a close — and from a financial perspective, the end is shaping up to be dim. Cuomo, who's now running for New York City mayor, first signaled in 2016 that he would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to decorate the city's bridges in flashing lights as a way to boost tourism. A year later, subway delays plagued the city in what came to be known as the 'Summer of Hell,' prompting critics to question the wisdom of forcing the financially stressed Metropolitan Transportation Authority to spend an estimated $250 million on a decorative lighting project. Cuomo, though, did not give up on his 'Harbor of Lights' vision. All told, the state and the New York Power Authority spent at least $108 million on bringing it to life — all to no avail. Now, years later, the power authority is finally auctioning off the lights after POLITICO inquired about their fate. The minimum bid? $25. So far, there are no takers — a far cry from what Cuomo had hoped for nearly a decade ago. 'They'll all be synchronized, they can all be the same color, they can operate in series — I mean it is really limitless,' he said at the time. The Kosciuszko Bridge linking Brooklyn and Queens got the light show treatment — and a Mother's Day 2017 unveiling — that Cuomo heralded as the first stage of his grand plan. 'Harbor of Lights' was to be choreographed together, synced with other iconic city landmarks and set to a soundtrack, making for an 'international tourist attraction," Cuomo promised. The plan was shelved soon after, but the power authority had already spent $106 million, including on the lighting equipment and design costs. The authority was ultimately reimbursed by taxpayers. But it held onto the lights and equipment needed for the pet project — and that has come at an additional cost. The authority has paid $300,000 annually — at least $2.1 million — over more than 7 years to store the lights, according to power authority spokesperson Lindsay Kryzak. Days before Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 due to sexual harassment allegations he denies, his spokesperson said the bridge lighting project would still move forward. That spokesperson, now working for Cuomo's mayoral campaign, declined to comment for this story. A government watchdog said Monday that the saga of the lights highlights a need for more oversight of the governor's office and state authorities. 'It's a complete fiasco,' said John Kaehny, executive director at Reinvent Albany. 'This is a case study in abuse of power and gaping holes in transparency and accountability.' Cuomo officials offered shifting explanations of how the bridge lights would be paid for as public scrutiny mounted. The MTA wouldn't be paying, a Cuomo spokesperson said, after the power authority's board had been told otherwise. At one point, the administration suggested the state's economic development agency would provide the funding. It wasn't unusual for Cuomo to focus on the aesthetics of infrastructure projects — he added millions of dollars in costs for blue and white tiling in tunnels. While governor, he also tapped the state power authority to support various projects, including the lighting and display screens at the Moynihan Train Hall. The power authority finances energy efficiency projects, and customers — public entities like the MTA — agree to reimburse the authority. But the bridge lights were such a large expense — without a clear path to reimbursement — that they prevented the authority from issuing long term debt for years. Then-power authority president and CEO Gil Quiniones told the governor's office at the time that the shortfall would have to be disclosed ahead of a planned bond issuance, according a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity to speak with POLITICO about sensitive details. To avoid that public disclosure, a deal was reached for the state to reimburse the authority. The last payment from the state was made in 2021, as POLITICO reported at the time. Most of the lighting equipment — which cost about $37 million, according to public records — has remained in storage since it was purchased in 2017. Power authority officials did not believe it could be sold since the state paid for it, according to the person who was granted anonymity. In 2021, a spokesperson for the authority said it would seek to use the lights for other projects. More recently, after POLITICO inquired about the fate of the bridge lights, the authority listed them for auction. 'As you know, we have tried to repurpose these lights,' power authority spokesperson Kryzak said in a statement. 'Despite these efforts to identify new uses across the State, demand was not what was expected, so the next logical step is to auction the lights." Kaehny recommended that voters take this 'escapade' into account when voting in the Democratic mayoral primary, where Cuomo is the leading candidate. 'He's not been held accountable in part because they were able to keep this a secret for so long,' Kaehny said. 'This is a great example of governance by whim and ego storm.'


Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Cuomo's bridge lights hit the auction block
ALBANY, New York — The saga of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's bridge-lighting boondoggle is finally drawing to a close — and from a financial perspective, the end is shaping up to be dim. Cuomo, who's now running for New York City mayor, first signaled in 2016 that he would spend hundreds of millions of dollars to decorate the city's bridges in flashing lights as a way to boost tourism. A year later, subway delays plagued the city in what came to be known as the 'Summer of Hell,' prompting critics to question the wisdom of forcing the financially stressed Metropolitan Transportation Authority to spend an estimated $250 million on a decorative lighting project. Cuomo, though, did not give up on his 'Harbor of Lights' vision. All told, the state and the New York Power Authority spent at least $108 million on bringing it to life — all to no avail. Now, years later, the power authority is finally auctioning off the lights after POLITICO inquired about their fate. The minimum bid? $25. So far, there are no takers — a far cry from what Cuomo had hoped for nearly a decade ago. 'They'll all be synchronized, they can all be the same color, they can operate in series — I mean it is really limitless,' he said at the time. The Kosciuszko Bridge linking Brooklyn and Queens got the light show treatment — and a Mother's Day 2017 unveiling — that Cuomo heralded as the first stage of his grand plan. 'Harbor of Lights' was to be choreographed together, synced with other iconic city landmarks and set to a soundtrack, making for an 'international tourist attraction,' Cuomo promised. The plan was shelved soon after, but the power authority had already spent $106 million, including on the lighting equipment and design costs. The authority was ultimately reimbursed by taxpayers. But it held onto the lights and equipment needed for the pet project — and that has come at an additional cost. The authority has paid $300,000 annually — at least $2.1 million — over more than 7 years to store the lights, according to power authority spokesperson Lindsay Kryzak. Days before Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 due to sexual harassment allegations he denies, his spokesperson said the bridge lighting project would still move forward. That spokesperson, now working for Cuomo's mayoral campaign, declined to comment for this story. A government watchdog said Monday that the saga of the lights highlights a need for more oversight of the governor's office and state authorities. 'It's a complete fiasco,' said John Kaehny, executive director at Reinvent Albany. 'This is a case study in abuse of power and gaping holes in transparency and accountability.' Cuomo officials offered shifting explanations of how the bridge lights would be paid for as public scrutiny mounted. The MTA wouldn't be paying, a Cuomo spokesperson said, after the power authority's board had been told otherwise. At one point, the administration suggested the state's economic development agency would provide the funding. It wasn't unusual for Cuomo to focus on the aesthetics of infrastructure projects — he added millions of dollars in costs for blue and white tiling in tunnels. While governor, he also tapped the state power authority to support various projects, including the lighting and display screens at the Moynihan Train Hall. The power authority finances energy efficiency projects, and customers — public entities like the MTA — agree to reimburse the authority. But the bridge lights were such a large expense — without a clear path to reimbursement — that they prevented the authority from issuing long term debt for years. Then-power authority president and CEO Gil Quiniones told the governor's office at the time that the shortfall would have to be disclosed ahead of a planned bond issuance, according a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity to speak with POLITICO about sensitive details. To avoid that public disclosure, a deal was reached for the state to reimburse the authority. The last payment from the state was made in 2021, as POLITICO reported at the time. Most of the lighting equipment — which cost about $37 million, according to public records — has remained in storage since it was purchased in 2017. Power authority officials did not believe it could be sold since the state paid for it, according to the person who was granted anonymity. In 2021, a spokesperson for the authority said it would seek to use the lights for other projects. More recently, after POLITICO inquired about the fate of the bridge lights, the authority listed them for auction. 'As you know, we have tried to repurpose these lights,' power authority spokesperson Kryzak said in a statement. 'Despite these efforts to identify new uses across the State, demand was not what was expected, so the next logical step is to auction the lights.' Kaehny recommended that voters take this 'escapade' into account when voting in the Democratic mayoral primary, where Cuomo is the leading candidate. 'He's not been held accountable in part because they were able to keep this a secret for so long,' Kaehny said. 'This is a great example of governance by whim and ego storm.'

Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
White House breaks ground on Trump projects to pave over Rose Garden grass, add flagpoles to lawns
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House broke ground Monday on construction projects ordered by President Donald Trump to pave over the grass in the Rose Garden and install flagpoles on the north and south lawns. The projects are part of a series of personal touches that Trump, a real estate developer turned politician, has added or is adding to the Executive Mansion and its grounds since he opened his second term in January. The projects also include new artwork of himself on walls and gold-toned flourishes in the Oval Office. He also wants to add a ballroom. Reporters on Monday noticed that work had begun in the Rose Garden, just off the Oval Office on the south grounds, when they were taken out to the South Lawn to wait for Trump to return on the Marine One helicopter from an overnight at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. Photos showed that a limestone border that first lady Melania Trump had added during a Rose Garden renovation project in her husband's first term had been removed in some places and the grass had been dug up in others spots. Employees of the National Park Service, which maintains the White House grounds, started the work on Monday, according to a White House official. The project is set to be completed in about two months, or the first half of August, said the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on intended changes to the Executive Mansion and spoke on the condition of anonymity. After stepping off the helicopter, Trump walked over to a bulldozer that was on the South Lawn to start digging a foundation for one of two flagpoles he promised in April. One flagpole will be added to the South Lawn, and the second will be installed on the North Lawn, he said. Trump said he was installing two 'beautiful' flagpoles 'paid for by Trump' on the grounds because 'they've needed flagpoles for 200 years.' The American and POW/MIA flags fly on the roof of the White House every day. The Republican president said months ago that he would pave over the Rose Garden because the grass there is always wet and an inconvenience for women in high heels. It was unclear if he planned to pay for this project. Last week, Trump posted on his social media site about the ballroom he promised, 'compliments of a man known as Donald J. Trump.' He wrote on Friday that he had inspected the site for the ballroom, saying it will be a 'wonderful addition' and is an example of the ''fun' projects I do while thinking about the World Economy, the United States, China, Russia, and lots of other Countries, places, and events.' ___ Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at