Melania Trump, dressed in a bright red suit, signed the papers with her husband Donald Trump to become the Republican presidential nominee.
The former first lady did not join the rest of the Trump family as they entered the convention hall to listen to Hulk Hogan address the crowd.
Ivanka Trump, Don Jr. and Tiffany all sat with their father in the main box of the convention hall, listening and cheering with the crowd as Hulk Hogan and Eric Trump egged on the delegates.
“Four more years,” they cheered.
Melania Trump joins Donald Trump as he signs papers to become Republican nominee
Trump’s children Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump also watched as he signed the papers.
Melania was spotted boarding Trump Force One in Newark, NJ, on Thursday night for the flight to Milwaukee. She was accompanied by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
She is not expected to address the delegates, although she has been given the opportunity to do so.
While she spoke to delegates at the 2016 and 2020 conventions, she remained in the background this election year as her husband ran for a second term.
She told of the horror of realising that her life and that of her son Barron were about to undergo “devastating changes” after hearing the news about her husband.
The former first lady called the shooter a “monster” and described the moment she saw the bullet hit her husband’s ear at a rally in Pennsylvania in front of thousands of his adoring fans.
“A monster that my husband recognized as an inhuman political machine attempted to express Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music and inspiration,” Melania said in an emotional statement on X Sunday morning.
“As I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized that my life, and Barron’s, were about to be changed in a devastating way. I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers who risked their own lives to protect my husband.”
She called on people to “reunite” and said she was thinking of her compatriots.
“This morning, rise above the hatred, venom and naive ideas that fuel violence,” she continued in her statement.
“The winds of change have come. For those of you who are crying out for support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached across the political divide – thank you for remembering that every politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”
There was no sign of Barron Trump.
The former president’s youngest soon attended his first political rally in early July, the week before his father’s assassination attempt, where he stood up and waved to the crowd, earning a huge cheer from his father’s loyal followers.
The 18-year-old graduated from high school in May and is expected to attend college in the fall.
His graduation marked the last time Donald and Melania Trump were seen together in public.
Earlier this summer, Barron Trump turned down Florida’s offer to be a delegate to the Republican Party convention this summer.
A week after the state announced that the 18-year-old would represent the state in Donald Trump’s nomination, Melania Trump’s office announced that Barron had “prior commitments.”
“While Barron is honored to have been selected as a delegate by the Republican Party of Florida, he regrets that he will not be participating due to prior commitments,” Melania Trump’s office said in a statement.
No further details were given.
As Usha Chilukuri Vance, Ivanka Trump, former first lady Melania Trump and Eric Trump look on, Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, sign documents to officially accept the nomination
Former White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, Former White House Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump, Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos attend the final day of the Republican National Convention
Meanwhile, Melania Trump has appeared in public with her husband at campaign events only three times: at his November 2022 campaign launch at their Mar-a-Lago home, in March when she accompanied her husband to the polls for the presidential election in Florida, and in April when she appeared alongside him at a lavish fundraiser in Palm Beach.
When Melania walked into the polls in March, she was asked if she wanted to campaign with the former president.
Her answer: “Stay tuned.”
Melania Trump conspicuously skipped the first presidential debate in Atlanta. Trump walked off the stage alone while Joe Biden was joined by Jill Biden.
She did host two fundraisers for Log Cabin Republicans, the largest conservative LGBTQ+ organization: one at Mar-a-Lago and one at the Trumps’ home in Trump Tower in New York.