First Lady Melania Trump did not accompany US President Trump on his high-stakes trip to China as she remains focused on her responsibilities prioritising "America’s families and children" back in the United States, a source has told NBC News.

Melania's absence from the US delegation for the US President's meeting with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, has raised eyebrows and left many questioning where the First Lady was.

While she did join her husband during his 2017 trip to China, this time the US President travels instead with a number of senior US officials and several high-profile CEOs.

Meanwhile, the American First Lady has remained in DC to mark the 180-day milestone since her husband signed off on the Fostering the Future Executive Order, an order that honours one of the First Lady's signature initiatives to help children in state care.

A source close to the trip told the Washington Post that the First Lady was never scheduled to go on the trip, even before it was pushed back from its original date due to the US conflict in Iran.

“The First Lady has prioritised America’s families and children in her initiatives here at home and is focused on these responsibilities at the present time,” the source said.

She will, however, be present to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the White House in September when the pair visits the US for a reciprocal trip.

MELANIA documentary director Brett Ratner has joined the US President on his China trip for 2026 as part of the US delegation, another addition to the US State Visit that has raised questioned.

The Post's source said that the First Lady was not aware that the director was going to travel on Air Force One to Beijing.

Ratner, 57, joins a number of business contacts who joined Trump on his trip to China on Wednesday, joining outgoing Apple boss Tim Cook and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Ratner - who had not worked in Hollywood since 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct by six women - made his comeback by co-producing Melania's documentary which was bought by Amazon for $75 million. The release follows Melania in the 20 days leading up to the 2025 presidential inauguration as she prepared to return to the role of First Lady.

Also present on the 2026 China tour is Trump's son Eric and his daughter-in-law Lara. Lara recently posted a photograph featuring some of the delegation members, which included a woman many might not immediately recognise. However, people are likely far more acquainted with her work than they realise.

The blonde woman pictured appears to be Natalie Harp, Trump's executive assistant. According to the Wall Street Journal, she is the driving force behind Trump's posts on Truth Social and is sometimes the one actually posting the content.

During a flurry on Monday, his account produced 17 posts within a single hour, including numerous reshares from his own supporters hailing him the "greatest president ever."

In total, the account published 55 messages between 10.14pm 1.12am.