First lady Melania Trump acknowledged that her family is spending less time together as she and President Donald Trump juggle their demanding schedules, telling Fox Business that family time is "suffering" even as their 20-year-old son Barron becomes increasingly independent.
Speaking on The Big Money Show on Wednesday, Sept. 23, Melania described the difficulty of maintaining family routines when the president works late into the evening and she has her own professional commitments. Her comments came during a New York appearance intended to promote Imperia, her newly launched network for female business leaders.
"My husband is working, sometimes he's in the Oval Office till 9.30 at night, right? So do you wait that you will have dinner? You don't, because he's busy. I'm busy too," Melania told Fox Business co-host Taylor Riggs.
The first lady said the competing demands on her household had reduced opportunities for the family to spend time together, a trade-off she appeared willing to accept given their public responsibilities.
"It's less and less the family time. It's suffering because of it," she said. "But that's OK. We are here to work, to do a good job, and that's what matters."
Melania's remarks followed a question from Riggs about whether the Trump family still maintains traditions such as Sunday dinners and how she manages to stay connected with Barron. The interviewer also asked what advice she would offer mothers struggling to balance demanding careers with their responsibilities at home.
Addressing Barron's growing independence, Melania suggested that her son might welcome having more time to himself as his parents focus on their work. She did not describe his daily routine or disclose how frequently the family manages to spend time together.
"Barron is already a young man, so sometimes he's maybe even happy that, you know, I just want to do my stuff. And that's okay," she said.
The comments marked a shift in emphasis from Melania's remarks earlier this year, when she described Barron as needing "nonstop" attention and her presence. Now 20, Barron is studying at New York University and has begun pursuing interests of his own, although the first lady did not elaborate on his current activities during Wednesday's interview.
Melania's appearance on Fox Business followed the launch of Imperia, a networking initiative intended to bring together female executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Earlier Wednesday, she rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to mark the initiative's debut.
Her senior adviser, Marc Beckman, has characterized Imperia as a "Davos for women," drawing a comparison with the annual gathering of business and political leaders in Switzerland. The initiative is designed to create connections among women in senior corporate positions and those building or financing businesses.
The launch adds another commitment to Melania's schedule as first lady. During the interview, she presented her work and the president's responsibilities as competing demands that require the family to adjust its expectations about spending time together.
Her remarks also offered a rare public acknowledgment of how the president's working hours affect the family's domestic life. By citing evenings when Trump remains in the Oval Office until 9:30 p.m., Melania described a household in which waiting for everyone to gather for dinner is not always practical.
The first lady did not say whether the family had abandoned regular dinners altogether or whether she and the president had established other routines to maintain time together. Her comments about Barron similarly stopped short of detailing his current living arrangements or how often she sees him.
