Melania Trump Skipped Giving Jill Biden A White House Tour & Broke An Age-Old Tradition

First ladies have welcomed each other for decades.
Contributor

For the first time in modern history, the outgoing first lady will not be welcoming the incoming first lady with a tour of the White House. 

Melania Trump is breaking tradition by not giving Dr. Jill Biden a private walk-through of the living quarters on the White House's second and third floors, as has been customary for decades. 

Editor's Choice: Melania Trump Just Released A Farewell Speech To Americans & Reflected On The Past 4 Years

[It's] unfortunate, but I think we're all okay with it. Ashley Biden

"I don’t think they’re doing the traditional protocol," shared President-elect Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, in an interview on Today.

First ladies past have been welcoming the woman who will replace her in the White House for years — from Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower to Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush.

The tradition was even carried out at the end of former president Barack Obama's term when Michelle Obama invited Melania and Donald Trump for a visit. 

This isn't the first custom that is being broken by the Trumps amidst the sting of a one-term presidency. 

Outgoing President Trump and the first lady will not be attending Biden's inauguration today. 

Though he's not the first president not to attend his successor's swearing-in ceremony, the breaking of tradition by both Trump and his wife have certainly created controversy. 

  • Julia Murphy was an Associate Editor for Narcity Media.

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