Melania Trump makes big comeback at closed-door LGBTQ+ fundraiser
Palm Beach, Florida - Over the weekend, Melania Trump made her highly anticipated return to politics during a closed-door event that remains shrouded in secrecy.
On Saturday, the former first lady hosted a fundraising event for the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), the largest nonprofit LGBTQ+ conservative group in the country, at the Trumps' Mar-a-Lago home.
Very little has been shared about what took place during the event, which cost $10,000 to attend.
An organizer for the event told ABC News that tickets sold out within 36 hours after it was first announced and ended up hosting around 70 guests.
Several notable allies and campaign donors showed up to flaunt their support, including former Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz and Fox News CEO Roger Ailes' widow, Elizabeth Ailes.
Melania, who does not use social media nearly as much as her husband, shared a photo of herself speaking at a podium, along with a link to a recent interview.
While most of the comments showed lots of love for the former first lady, who has been notably absent from the public eye as Donald battles a number of legal issues while running for re-election, some couldn't help but wonder where exactly her husband was.
What we know about Melania Trump's secret fundraiser
Also in attendance at the fundraiser was Richard Grenell, who served as the ambassador to Germany during former President Trump's administration and was the first openly gay person to ever serve in a Cabinet-level position.
Ahead of the event, Grenell shared an X post describing it as "the most aggressive campaign we've ever seen from Republicans to win support from gay and lesbian Americans."
He went on to argue that gay people "have largely achieved equality in America" and that Trump deserves their vote.
"He is the best candidate for our safety, security and prosperity," Grenell said of the former president. "He sees you as 100% equal - it's up to you to be responsible, hardworking and successful."
It had been previously reported that the fundraiser was to celebrate the LCR's launching of their "Road to Victory" program, which will seek to garner support for Republicans in swing states ahead of the general elections in November.
The event was assumed by many to be Melania's big comeback to politics, as its main focus was to bolster her husband's re-election campaign.
Instead of being there to support it, Trump was in North Carolina, where he was forced to cancel a campaign rally – scheduled around the same time as his wife's event – due to poor weather.
Trump has a history of anti-LGBTQ actions
Despite Grenell's claims, Trump could absolutely use a boost with the LGBTQ community, as he has a long history of pushing an aggressive anti-LGBTQ agenda, most notably aimed at the transgender community.
His disdain for the community runs so deep that when he was president, his administration in 2019 barred US embassies from flying rainbow flags on their flagpoles during Pride Month.
LCR president Charles Moran told Newsweek that Melania's fundraiser did "remarkably well" but refused to give more details, only say more information "may" come out soon.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire