Erika Kirk's Praise Of Usha Vance At Charlie's Memorial Service Puts A Spotlight On Melania's Absence

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In the wake of Charlie Kirk's tragic death at 31 years old, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance immediately flew to Utah to be there for his wife, Erika Kirk, and their two children. During Erika's speech at Charlie's memorial service at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on September 21, the grieving widow shared some advice Usha had given her during her time of dire need. 

Erika recounted a moment she shared with Usha while they were sitting on the tarmac in Air Force Two, when she told Usha that she didn't know how she was going to get through the tragedy. That's when Usha offered some heartfelt words. "She said, 'You know, when you're on an airplane with your kids and it's the last 15 minutes of the flight and things are crazy. ... And you think to yourself, I cannot wait for this flight to land. And it's 15 minutes before you land.' And she told me, 'You will get through these 15 minutes and the next 15 minutes after that.' Usha, I don't think you realized it then, but those words were exactly what I needed to hear."

With all of this chatter about the second lady, many can't help but wonder where in the world first lady Melania Trump is. While she was careful to pen an X post honoring Charlie shortly after his death, Melania was notably missing in action at his funeral, and everyone noticed. "Where is Melania? She should be there comforting Erika and Charlie's family," one X user wrote. Another quipped, "Where is Melania? Not contractually obligated to be there? Trump must have used a years [sic] worth of obligation on the England Trip, holding hands and all," referencing Donald and Melania's fashion disaster-packed U.K. state visit.

Perhaps Melania Trump stayed behind to help first son Barron Trump acclimate to his classes at N.Y.U.'s Washington campus. Or maybe she's taking it easy at Mar-a-Lago after a very hectic and stressful couple of days across the pond at Windsor Castle. The world may never know. What we do know is that Melania being curiously missing in action has simply become par for the course during her husband's time as president. 

Over the years, the first lady has developed a reputation for being somewhat of an ice queen. Between her aloof demeanor, affinity for fashion accessories that shield her from the public gaze (think oversized sunglasses and large and in charge hats), and the jacket she wore on a trip to visit detained immigrant children with the words "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" defiantly scrawled on the back, it's no wonder people don't exactly consider her warm, fuzzy, or accessible. But don't just take our word for it. "Her brand is to be mysterious," journalist and author of "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump" Mary Jordan told CNN in June 2020. "Her brand really is the most recognized unknown person, perhaps in the world." 

Even the first lady's memoir, aptly titled "Melania" and released in October 2024, proved to be a big ol' nothing burger. Melania gives readers a very vanilla account of growing up in Slovenia, the first time she met her future husband, the 2016 election night, and her modeling career. Think: all very surface-level style confessions, just like the coffee tables the book was made to sit on. All that to say, if you're clamoring to know exactly where Melania was during Charlie Kirk's memorial and why, don't hold your breath.