عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Trump Solo: First Lady, Children Out of Frame in New Term 

US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)
US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)
TT
TT

Trump Solo: First Lady, Children Out of Frame in New Term 

US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)
US First Lady Melania Trump (L) and President Donald Trump attend the 2025 Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA 21 April 2025. (EPA)

First Lady Melania Trump, relatively out of public view during her husband's first term, has been even more off-grid this time around.

In the first 100 days since Donald Trump returned to office, the first lady has appeared at only a handful of public events. It is unclear how many days she has even spent in Washington.

Trump's other family members have similarly been missing from the White House, but most are not shying away from the public spotlight.

Here is a look at what Trump's family is -- or isn't -- up to early in his second term:

- Whither Melania? -

When the president has returned from Florida -- where he spends nearly every weekend -- it is neither the first lady nor any other family member exiting the helicopter with him, but often his billionaire aide Elon Musk and Musk's young son.

Apart from fueling further speculation of marital strife, Melania Trump's absence from this weekly ritual highlights what Ohio University history professor Katherine Jellison calls a "major and very noticeable" shift from precedent.

"She's quite different from every first lady for a couple of generations at least, more than a couple of generations. I would have to go all the way back to Bess Truman in the late '40s and early '50s to find such a low-profile first lady," Jellison told AFP.

"Weeks and weeks go by and the American public doesn't really see her."

So what has she been up to? The public may eventually get a glimpse via a documentary series she is filming with Amazon, under a contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.

Jaded by the critiques of her previous tenure as first lady, Melania Trump, 54, seems determined to "get the upper hand and have more control over her public image," Jellison said.

"I think the American people in general still feel they don't know her, and maybe this... is her attempting to tell us who she is, but on her own terms."

- Older Kids -

During Donald Trump's first term, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner held important White House advisory roles -- but not this time.

Ivanka has stated she wants to spend more time with her children, while Jared is managing a private equity fund.

Elder sons Don Jr. and Eric continue to run the Trump family business, which now includes, controversially, a growing cryptocurrency portfolio.

Unlike Ivanka, they both frequently take to social media to tout their father's MAGA agenda.

Don Jr. -- known for his ability to tap into the Trump base -- is especially vocal and hosts a twice-weekly podcast, "Triggered," which recently had Secretary of State Marco Rubio as an "exclusive guest."

Eric's wife Lara Trump, who co-led the national Republican Party during last year's campaign, now hosts a weekly Fox News show. It also frequently includes administration officials as guests.

The Trump family has continued to "capitalize on their roles as the First Family," Jellison said, in what previously would have been considered "quite taboo behavior."

Meanwhile, Tiffany Trump -- the president's only child with his second wife Marla Maples -- is expecting a child with husband Michael Boulos, and has remained out of the spotlight.

The president has, however, tapped Michael's wealthy father Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-born businessman with extensive experience in Nigeria, to be his senior advisor for Africa, and an advisor on Middle Eastern affairs.

- Generation Z -

Barron, the president's only child with Melania, has grown up a lot since his father's first term.

The 19-year-old, now a towering six-foot-seven-inches (2.01 meters), is studying business at New York University. He won MAGA admirers with his brief inauguration appearances, but has since remained out of public view.

Donald Trump's camp has credited Barron's advice on new media, such as podcasts and TikTok, as helping him win over young men voters.

Kai Trump, daughter of Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa Trump, has a growing social media following, especially on TikTok.

The 17-year-old, who notably spoke at last year's Republican National Convention, posts frequent video blogs showing her life as an amateur golfer, as well as sharing behind-the-scenes moments with "grandpa."

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Coffee Regions Hit by Extra Days of Extreme Heat, Say Scientists 

17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)
17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)
TT
TT

Coffee Regions Hit by Extra Days of Extreme Heat, Say Scientists 

17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)
17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)

The world's main coffee-growing regions are roasting under additional days of climate change-driven heat every year, threatening harvests and contributing to higher prices, researchers said Wednesday.

An analysis found that there were 47 extra days of harmful heat per year on average in 25 countries representing nearly all global coffee production between 2021 and 2025, according to independent research group Climate Central.

Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia -- which supply 75 percent of the world's coffee -- experienced on average 57 additional days of temperatures exceeding the threshold of 30C.

"Climate change is coming for our coffee. Nearly every major coffee-producing country is now experiencing more days of extreme heat that can harm coffee plants, reduce yields, and affect quality," said Kristina Dahl, Climate Central's vice president for science.

"In time, these impacts may ripple outward from farms to consumers, right into the quality and cost of your daily brew," Dahl said in a statement.

US tariffs on imports from Brazil, which supplies a third of coffee consumed in the United States, contributed to higher prices this past year, Climate Central said.

But extreme weather in the world's coffee-growing regions is "at least partly to blame" for the recent surge in prices, it added.

Coffee cultivation needs optimal temperatures and rainfall to thrive.

Temperatures above 30C are "extremely harmful" to arabica coffee plants and "suboptimal" for the robusta variety, Climate Central said. Those two plant species produce the majority of the global coffee supply.

For its analysis, Climate Central estimated how many days each year would have stayed below 30C in a world without carbon pollution but instead exceeded that level in reality -- revealing the number of hot days added by climate change.

The last three years have been the hottest on record, according to climate monitors.

Varieties

Dog Gives Olympics Organizers Paws for Thought

A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
TT
TT

Dog Gives Olympics Organizers Paws for Thought

A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

A dog decided he would bid for an unlikely Olympic medal on Wednesday as he joined the women's cross country team free sprint in the Milan-Cortina Games.

The dog ran onto the piste in Tesero in northern Italy and gamely, even without skis, ran behind two of the competitors, Greece's Konstantina Charalampidou and Tena Hadzic of Croatia.

He crossed the finishing line, his moment of glory curtailed as he was collared by the organizers and led away -- his owner no doubt will have a bone to pick with him when they are reunited.

Varieties

Olives, Opera and a Climate-Neutral Goal: How a Mural in Greece Won ‘Best in the World’ 

A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
TT
TT

Olives, Opera and a Climate-Neutral Goal: How a Mural in Greece Won ‘Best in the World’ 

A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 

Long known for its olives and seaside charm, the southern Greek city of Kalamata has found itself in the spotlight thanks to a towering mural that reimagines legendary soprano Maria Callas as an allegory for the city itself.

The massive artwork on the side of a prominent building in the city center has been named 2025’s “Best Mural of the World” by Street Art Cities, a global platform celebrating street art.

Residents of Kalamata, approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, cultivate the world-renowned olives, figs and grapes that feature prominently on the mural.

That was precisely the point.

Vassilis Papaefstathiou, deputy mayor of strategic planning and climate neutrality, explained Kalamata is one of the few Greek cities with the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. He and other city leaders wanted a way to make abstract concepts, including sustainable development, agri-food initiatives, and local economic growth, more tangible for the city’s nearly 73,000 residents.

That’s how the idea of a massive mural in a public space was born.

“We wanted it to reflect a very clear and distinct message of what sustainable development means for a regional city such as Kalamata,” Papaefstathiou said. “We wanted to create an image that combines the humble products of the land, such as olives and olive oil — which, let’s be honest, are famous all over the world and have put Kalamata on the map — with the high-level art.”

“By bringing together what is very elevated with ... the humbleness of the land, our aim was to empower the people and, in doing so, strengthen their identity. We want them to be proud to be Kalamatians.”

Southern Greece has faced heatwaves, droughts and wildfires in recent years, all of which affect the olive groves on which the region’s economy is hugely dependent.

The image chosen to represent the city was Maria Callas, widely hailed as one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century and revered in Greece as a national cultural symbol. She may have been born in New York to Greek immigrant parents, but her father came from a village south of Kalamata. For locals, she is one of their own.

This connection is also reflected in practice: the alumni association at Kalamata’s music school is named for Callas, and the cultural center houses an exhibition dedicated to her, which includes letters from her personal archive.

Artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos, 52, said the mural “is not actually called ‘Maria Callas,’ but ‘Kalamata’ and my attempt was to paint Kalamata (the city) allegorically.”

Rather than portraying a stylized image of the diva, Kostopoulos said he aimed for a more grounded and human depiction. He incorporated elements that connect the people to their land: tree branches — which he considers the above-ground extension of roots — birds native to the area, and the well-known agricultural products.

“The dress I create on Maria Callas in ‘Kalamata’ is essentially all of this, all of this bloom, all of this fruition,” he said. “The blessed land that Kalamata itself has ... is where all of these elements of nature come from.”

Creating the mural was no small feat. Kostopoulos said it took around two weeks of actual work spread over a month due to bad weather. He primarily used brushes but also incorporated spray paint and a cherry-picker to reach all edges of the massive wall.

Papaefstathiou, the deputy mayor, said the mural has become a focal point.

“We believe this mural has helped us significantly in many ways, including in strengthening the city’s promotion as a tourist destination,” he said.

Beyond tourism, the mural has sparked conversations about art in public spaces. More building owners in Kalamata have already expressed interest in hosting murals.

“All of us — residents, and I personally — feel immense pride,” said tourism educator Dimitra Kourmouli.

Kostopoulos said he hopes the award will have a wider impact on the art community and make public art more visible in Greece.

“We see that such modern interventions in public space bring tremendous cultural, social, educational and economic benefits to a place,” he said. “These are good springboards to start nice conversations that I hope someday will happen in our country, as well.”