Melania makes plea to Americans with Usha Vance to remember the sacrifice this Thanksgiving as they visit military families in Alabama

Detailed summary

First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance have once again teamed up to spread some pre-Thanksgiving cheer to military families.

Published: 17:32 GMT, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 17:52 GMT, 12 November 2026

First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance have once again teamed up to spread some pre-Thanksgiving cheer to military families.

Trump and Vance traveled to Alabama's Fort Rucker, an Army base, after traveling to a Marine base last year, their first joint outing during President Donald Trump's second term.

Trump and Vance's military family outreach follows in the footsteps of the Joining Forces initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr Jill Biden. Biden continued those events when she took her turn as First Lady during President Joe Biden's term.

'I want to take a moment to say thank you to one very important group of people: the families of America's military,' said the First Lady, dressed in an Army green jacket. 'Your role is profound.'

'While your loved ones are deployed, it is up to you to keep your family strong, keep your children safe and keep your homes full of love,' she continued. 'This is a big responsibility.'

She then turned her attention to the broader American public, asking them to think about the sacrifice of those families this Thanksgiving.

'To every American watching us today, in a few weeks, you will be sitting around your Thanksgiving table in the warmth of your own home, surrounded by your loved ones, sharing a wonderful meal and perhaps enjoying a football game on television,' the First Lady said.

'Take a moment to think of America's service people and the families with an open seat at their Thanksgiving table,' she encouraged. 'Those families are just as important in maintaining America's elite status and in protecting our freedom.'

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Mail. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.