Jill Biden Recalls 'Frosty' Interaction With Melania Trump After 2025 Inauguration

Former First Lady Jill Biden described a highly tense, "frosty" limousine ride with Melania Trump during the January 20, 2025, inauguration of the latter's husband, Donald Trump.

In her newly released memoir, A View From the East Wing, Jill detailed the awkward encounter that took place as they traveled together from the White House to the U.S. Capitol.

The 74-year-old former FLOTUS wrote that a steely Melania, 56, refused to engage in meaningful conversation, giving curt replies and repeatedly steering the discussion back to the weather.

While the women rode together in one car, Joe and Donald were in another.

"The presidents' car was likely frosty too, but at least they'd spent considerable time in each other’s company," Jill recalled. "This would be one of the few interactions Melania and I had ever had."

When their chaperone, John Bessler, the husband of Minnesota's Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, tried to break the tension by asking Melania about her son Barron Trump's schooling, Melania looked out the window, muttered "NYU" and immediately redirected the conversation back to the clouds.

"Melania kept trying to switch the topic to the weather," Jill wrote.

To signal political appeasement and unity, Jill chose to wear a purple Ralph Lauren suit. She also tried to match Melania's "weather-only program" by expressing sympathy for the military dogs out in the bitter cold, but her efforts fell flat.

According to the memoir, the icy relationship was deeply personal and tied to years of political conflict.

Jill noted that Melania blamed former President Biden directly for the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. This resentment persisted despite Jill feeling empathy for Melania, noting she knew firsthand how distressing it must have been.

"I have compassion for her, having been subject to the same kind of search," Jill admitted. "I knew how distressing it was to have agents rummage through your underwear drawer."

A history of slights compounded the tension. Melania had previously broken a century-old tradition by refusing to invite Jill to the White House for the customary tea and tour before the 2021 inauguration. Melania also declined Jill’s own invitation to the White House in late 2024.

"Jill was livid and never forgot the slight – especially as she'd been waiting and waiting for the call to come," said an insider. "She pointed to it as another example of Melania’s bad manners."

While the public saw the women exchange superficial pleasantries and pose for an obligatory photo before the ceremony, the private reality was vastly different.

The book's release has drawn a fierce response from Donald, who took to Truth Social to mock other sections of the memoir, specifically targeting Jill's recollections of her husband's health during the 2024 campaign trail.