The Monocle Minute

Few folks were more elusive during Donald Trump’s first administration than his wife, the former-and-future first lady, Melania Trump. Not only did she wait nearly six months to move into the White House but she would spend weeks absent from the public eye. The White House press corps thought her a cypher – little seen, little known and, in many ways, of little importance.

No more. Indeed, four years after departing Washington for Palm Beach and Manhattan, Melania appears ready to be the first lady that the US always expected. Having assumed a more robust role during her husband’s second campaign, she has been far more public since his re-election – a trend that will probably continue. There was the October release of her best-selling memoir, Melania, an unexpected cameo at her husband’s Madison Square Garden rally and, in early December, a rare television appearance on Fox News to talk about festive ornaments. A few weeks later at Mar-a-Lago’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, she won over fashion critics with a revealing black Versace gown. And this week she announced that she was teaming up with Amazon Prime for a behind-the-scenes documentary set to be released this year.

Little has been revealed about the content of the show that cost Amazon a reported $40m (€39m) and for which Melania will serve as executive producer – beyond that it will be a “truly unique story”. Scheduled for release in both theatres and on streaming platforms, the film has solidified her new public status.

Why now? For one thing, her son, Barron, is grown and in university, freeing Melania to focus on herself and her legacy. Then there’s Ivanka Trump – a surrogate first lady during her father’s first term, who has since traded Washington’s glare for a more homely existence down in Miami. With Ivanka out of commission, Trump needs a proper first lady – and Melania seems ready for the job.

According to her husband, Melania will be in Washington once he returns to the White House on 20 January. She has reportedly even renegotiated her prenuptial agreement to account for the added labour. Mostly, however, Melania, like her husband, has a far stronger command of her role than she did in 2016. This time around, she knows what to expect – and knows that defying expectations will be the canniest card that she can play from inauguration day onward.

David Kaufman is an editor and columnist at the ‘New York Post’. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Lebanon has been a rudderless ship for more than two years, lacking both a president and a plan to get its hammered economy back on track. Yesterday, however, the country finally elected a leader: army chief Joseph Aoun, who managed to put an end to the power vacuum following a second round of parliamentary voting. The country’s key priority remains its ongoing implementation of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah.

But Lebanon also faces a substantial rebuild of its cities and private sector – a task that will likely require the international community’s assistance. “Joseph Aoun’s competence as a Lebanese army commander and his working relationship with Hezbollah have inspired confidence among the international community,” says David Wood, senior analyst for Lebanon at the International Crisis Group. “There is cause for optimism in Beirut.”

The Japanese art market grew by 11 per cent between 2019 and 2023, reaching an estimated value of €661m, according to a new report by Arts Economics. Despite a 10 per cent dip in 2023, Japan remains Asia’s second-largest art market. Crucially, its performance has been bolstered by a distinctly local focus. The vast majority of sales (84 per cent) are to domestic collectors and galleries account for more than half of the transactions. As the art world embraces high-value digital sales, Japan’s galleries prefer to conduct trade in person.

“Over the past few years, fairs such as Art Collaboration Kyoto and Art Week Tokyo have proved interesting models for generating international discourse, without trying to change or commercialise Japanese art,” says Lisa Movius, Asia correspondent for The Art Newspaper. The result is a boon for the economy too. The market is directly responsible for around 12,700 jobs, boosting the culture sector, including museums, to the tune of €131m. Despite a weak yen, Japan’s art scene remains unperturbed, putting the industry on a promising track for 2025.

About 10,926 hectares of southern California are engulfed in multiple fires. Los Angeles in particular is experiencing the largest and most destructive conflagration in its history. The biggest of these blazes, the Palisades fire, is not only tearing through some of the city’s most iconic neighbourhoods but also some of the oldest – parts of Sunset Boulevard lie in ruins. More than 1,000 buildings have already been burned, including the pictured apartment block, during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. Los Angeles’s citizens, homes and rich history are in peril. The coming week will be a harrowing test for the city as authorities fight to protect families and tame the flames.

To follow this story, tune in to‘The Globalist’and‘The Monocle Daily’.

We visit two destinations that should factor into your 2025 travel plans. In Portugal we assess the hospitality sector after a record year in visitor numbers, then we tune in to the sounds of Tokyo to hear what sonic attractions await you in the Japanese capital.