6 fun facts about first lady Melania Trump’s visit to North Carolina
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- First Lady Melania Trump visited Jacksonville, touring schools and military base.
- White House supplied wardrobe notes; reporters logged outfits for publicity.
- Local reporters highlighted students’ classroom skills and a child’s art essay.
Last Wednesday, we Tar Heel reporters caught a rarified glimpse into the White House world when first lady Melania Trump flew into Jacksonville for a quick afternoon, bearing holiday wishes for Marines and their fidgety kindergartners.
We tagged along with the White House Press Corps, in assigned seats near the back of a motorcade, zipping through the cotton fields and chicken farms of Onslow County, watching crowds wave from outside Saigon Sam’s Military Surplus.
But for someone like me, a local-news lifer, the experience provided more details than the daily news dispatch could hold. I will now share with you some of the personal glimpses from a day spent following the world’s most powerful spouse:
1.) What to wear
The White House provided a list of what the first lady would be wearing: a stone-colored safari jacket, waxed cotton coffee-color jeans and suede booties, which she would be “sporting.” Second lady Usha Vance also got a fashion heads-up for her burgundy ensemble — or maroon, the White House allowed — with a sweater dress and a small heel.
This marked the first time in my 32-year career that anyone wanted me to know the details of their wardrobe. For the record, I wore a blue blazer that used to be my Dad’s before he died four years ago and a spotted tie I bought at Belk in 2004.
2.) No, that wasn’t Air Force One
FLOTUS and SLOTUS did not arrive on Air Force One — not on Wednesday, anyhow. Their aircraft more commonly carries cabinet secretaries, I was told, and it does not suffer the indignity of a larger number along the lines of Air Force Six.
In a disappointing sneak-peek detail, a member of the White House press corps told me that Air Force One does not have golden toilets on-board.
3.) A respectful distance?
I was not able to ask anyone a question — certainly not Mrs. Trump or Mrs. Vance — but also not any of the elementary school teachers enjoying the dignitaries’ visit or the students themselves. All day, I stood at a distance of at least 20 feet, unable to hear much of any conversation.
This was unusual. I am used to standing next to governors, riding inside police cars, being so close to firefighters that my clothes smell smoky. I’ve been inside a prison cell with a convicted murderer. I’ve shaken hands with William Shatner and gotten parenting advice from Henry Winkler.
So this was unusual. The whole experience felt a bit like being on safari and watching the news through binoculars. Where is the fun?
4.) No scared students
FLOTUS and SLOTUS stopped at Lejeune High School and DeLalio Elementary during their day in North Carolina, and both campuses sit on Marine Corps bases. At Lejeune, three whole rows of students watching from the risers in the gymnasium wore the uniforms of the junior ROTC.
I couldn’t help but think that 120 miles away in Raleigh, the absentee rate at Wake County schools had passed 11% — a statistic widely attributed to the presence of Border Patrol agents who were arresting and detaining people across the Triangle.
This did not appear to be an issue on the first lady’s visit. I saw few empty chairs.
5.) Be careful what you wish for
Brig. Gen. Ralph Rizzo Jr. introduced the first and second ladies before a crowd of 1,500 service members, and he reminded them that 34% of Marines are deployed in harm’s way. At DeLalio Elementary, the children with parents deployed overseas for the holidays wore tri-colored ribbons pinned to their shirts.
At Lejeune, the students helped pack 2,000 USO care packages for these troops, and the goodies sat in bins at the center of the gymnasium floor.
I peeked inside one bin to see what the distant Marines could be expecting:
Dude Wipes.
6.) The real stars
For me, the students were the real stars of this official visit, and I’d like to shout out what I learned of them despite extremely limited access:
First-grader Madelyn excels at counting. Her classmate Xander is very good at shape-sorting. Clayton gets top honors in adding and subtracting.
I wish them all a happy Thanksgiving, especially with moms and dads serving far away.
As one final bit of recognition, I will close this column with a short essay written by a DeLalio student, describing an art project of hers that I noticed inside a display case.
It speaks to all of us.
Chicken Nuggets, by Sarah
I made it because I was thinking of chicken nuggets. I made it out of cardboard. I made it because the art teacher made me.
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 5:15 AM.