First Lady of the United States
wife of the President of the United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States. The first lady of the United States traditionally acts as the hostess of the White House. Historically, when a president has been unmarried or a widower, he has usually asked a relative to act as White House hostess.
While the household always had domestic staff, since the early 20th century, the first lady has been assisted by her event staff, which has grown over the years to include communications, personal, and program staff, who comprise the Office of the First Lady (OFL).
Since the 1900s, the role of first lady has changed considerably. It has come to include involvement in political campaigns, management of the White House, championship of social causes, and representation of the president at official and ceremonial occasions. Additionally, over the years individual first ladies have held influence in a range of sectors, from fashion to public opinion on policy, as well as advocacy for female empowerment. The first lady since January 20, 2025, is Melania Trump, wife of President Donald Trump.
Origins of the title
The use of the title first lady to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “First Lady of the United States” is wife of the President of the United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through First, Lady and United, not as a finished interpretation.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7166256. The Library of Congress control number is sh85106496. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 3 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2025.
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This entry incorporates text from “First Lady of the United States” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.