Exclusive: Melania Trump to launch initiative for women CEOs
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy"Where's Melania?" is not a question anyone will have to ponder - at least for the next week.
After a monthlong absence noted by many over the summer - and which she made light of herself - the first lady will be omnipresent next week.
Melania Trump will begin the week promoting her Fostering the Future Together initiative and meeting with the first spouses of 57 nations during the United Nations General Assembly's High Level week in New York City on Sept. 22. The global coalition aims to empower children through education and technology.
The event, which will be held at the St. Regis Hotel, will highlight new private sector partnerships with leading technology companies, according to her senior advisor Marc Beckman, who shared details of her high profile week and the upcoming launch of a new initiative exclusively with USA TODAY.
On Sept. 23, she'll ring the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange and launch a new initiative called IMPERIA, bringing together female CEOs and C-Suit members. The inaugural invite-only event will be organized and hosted by the NYSE.
“The initiative will provide a forum and network for powerful women to do business together, move capital, influence policy, collaborate between sectors,” Beckman told USA TODAY.
The first lady "intends to harness that collective strength, bringing together some of the world’s most influential executives around a shared vision for economic empowerment," he said, billing the initiative as “Davos for Women." The annual World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, brings together roughly 3,000 global leaders, including heads of state and corporate chief executive officers.
The following day, she will join her husband, President Donald Trump, in welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan to the White House for an official state visit.
The first lady “meticulous as always, personally oversaw the most significant elements of the visit, including the State Dinner and private engagements,” said Beckman.
The foursome will undertake an short outing.
On Sept. 25, the president and the first lady will take the Chinese first couple to the National Archives and Records Administration to view the Declaration of Independence.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal.