A new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan indicates that former First Lady Melania Trump privately objected to Elon Musk's requests to stay overnight at the White House shortly after Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration.
Musk had asked to sleep in the White House residence, to which Donald Trump agreed. However, Melania Trump initially objected. Despite her objections, Musk reportedly spent several nights in the Lincoln Bedroom. Sources familiar with the First Lady described her as a private person who did not want visitors staying at the White House for extended periods without designation.
These private sentiments contrast with Musk's public endorsement of Donald Trump. In October 2024, Musk introduced Melania Trump at a rally in Madison Square Garden, calling it an honor. However, by June 2025, the public relationship between Trump and Musk soured significantly, marked by a series of public accusations from Musk. Musk stated that Trump was "in the Epstein files" and threatened to block NASA's access to the International Space Station, among other criticisms.
Trump responded to Musk's statements by calling him "crazy" and suggesting a reduction in his companies' subsidies. The public dispute drew commentary from figures like Bill Ackman and Kanye West.
Melania Trump's cautious nature is attributed to her upbringing in the former Yugoslavia under state surveillance. This cautiousness was further underscored by her reaction to the August 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, which she described as an "invasion of privacy."
In subsequent years, Melania Trump's engagement with technology figures, particularly concerning artificial intelligence, also appeared to avoid Musk. In September 2025, the President and First Lady hosted a dinner for 33 tech leaders at the White House, including executives from OpenAI, Meta, Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Many of these leaders also participated in a White House Task Force meeting on AI education led by Melania Trump earlier that day. Musk was not present at these events, though he later claimed he was invited but unable to attend.
Further signaling a distance, in March 2026, when Melania Trump hosted an AI-enhanced humanoid robot at the White House, she showcased a machine from Figure AI, a startup backed by rivals to Musk's AI endeavors, rather than Musk's own Optimus robot from Tesla. This move was seen in the tech community as a snub to Musk.
During the presidential transition period, Musk resided at Mar-a-Lago, with sources suggesting at the time that Melania Trump was unperturbed by his presence, even viewing him as a potential entertainer for her husband. He stayed in a separate suite and strategized with Trump, participated in calls with world leaders, and attended social events.
Despite public appearances, such as a January 2026 dinner at Mar-a-Lago with the Trumps, where Musk posted a positive message on X, Melania Trump has largely maintained a discreet public stance. Her personal philosophy was summarized in a 2015 interview with Anderson Cooper, where she stated, "He will do what he wants to do on the end. As I will do what I want to do."