Melania travels to State of the Union separately from Trump

First lady Melania Trump traveled to the Capitol separately from President Trump on Tuesday night ahead of his first State of the Union, in a break with tradition, CNN reported.

The first lady traveled to the Capitol with her guests attending the address, her spokeswoman told CNN.

“In addition to holding a White House reception and photo opportunity for them, along with their friends and family, she is accompanying them to the Capitol,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to CNN.

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“Once there, the first lady and Mrs. Pence will host a more intimate meet-and-greet to engage with them on a personal level prior to the speech,” Grisham continued.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also said that Melania Trump traveled separately for “no reason other than she can greet the guests and he can go straight in,” CNN’s Jim Acosta reported.

Sarah Sanders to CNN on Mrs. Trump traveling to Capitol separately: “no reason other than she can greet the guests and he can go straight in.”

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 31, 2018

Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as well as former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, were seen traveling to the Capitol for State of the Union addresses during their administrations, according to the CNN.

The Trumps also traveled together to the Capitol for Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress last year.

The couple is expected to travel back to the White House together after the speech, according to CNN, which noted that the Trumps have not been publicly seen together since New Year’s Eve.

Their interactions have drawn media interest after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s personal lawyer had arranged a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.

The first lady was reportedly blindsided and furious over the report, The New York Times reported Monday.

Melania Trump dropped out of the president’s trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this month. She visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and then made a surprise trip to Florida during that time.