When was the last time a president was seen running for office without a future first lady by his side? For over a century, presidents have entered the White House with a spouse, and it’s a long-standing tradition that candidates don’t seem eager to break.
Historically, the last unmarried president elected to America’s House was Grover Cleveland in 1886, but he soon rectified that by getting married during his first term. There was only one man ever to become president of the United States without a first lady by his side, James Buchanan, who became commander-in-chief in 1857 and never married.
Lindsay Graham was in a similar scenario when he ran for president ahead of the 2016 election without a partner, but he dropped out of the race in 2015. While his lack of a first lady wasn’t what took him out of the race, it did cause some chatter. “We’ll have a rotating first lady,” Graham previously joked in an interview with the Daily Mail.
That being said, there’s no question that Melania will automatically bolster Donald’s 2024 presidential run by appealing to women on the fence and helping to sway their opinions. According to author Mary Jordan, Melania is behind much of her husband’s actions on the campaign trail. “She’s the first call he makes after a speech or a rally, because he trusts her — he doesn’t trust many people — and she watches on TV,” Jordan told The Guardian.
