- A conspiracy theory has been floating around Washington that first lady Melania Trump lives in a separate house in DC with her parents and son.
- Her staff told The Washington Post on Sunday this rumor is “1,000% false.”
- Trump moved to the White House in June 2017.
There’s a “persistent” rumor that Melania Trump lives in a separate house in DC with her parents and son, Barron Trump.
In a Washington Post story on Sunday about the first lady’s private life inside the White House, her office refuted the rumor as “1,000% false.”
Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said, “We laugh at it all the time.” White House social secretary Rickie Niceta Lloyd called the rumor “an urban legend.”
During the press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the rumor “ridiculous.”
"Just when you think the Washington Post can't get things any more wrong, they do," she said. "The first lady lives here at the White House. We see her here regularly."
Trump took longer than usual to move to the White House after her husband took office, spending the first five months of his presidency in New York City while Barron finished school in Manhattan.
In June 2017, the mother and son finally moved to the White House, and Barron started attending St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, in the fall.
Multiple news reports have said the first lady's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, live with the Trumps. The White House previously didn't confirm to Business Insider whether the Knavs lived in the US permanently or just visited frequently, and wouldn't tell the Post where they live.
While The Post report said the first couple doesn't often dine together or sleep in the same room, it also quoted White House staff saying Trump does spend a lot of time at the "People's House," and that she has a great relationship with the 100 or so butlers, chefs, and other staff who keep the residence running.
Most recently, Trump shared a video and photos of her coordinating the many details for the French state dinner she and her husband hosted at the White House.
Friends told The Post that when the "full-time mom" is not fulfilling her official duties as first lady, Trump is with her family.