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March 25, 2026, 5:38 p.m. ET
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Melania Trump, the first lady, with Figure 3, a humanoid robot developed by Figure AI, an artificial intelligence robotics company.
Credit...
Oliver Contreras/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Melania and the Robot
The first lady, Melania Trump, believes that more children should be educated by “humanoid educators.”
Melania Trump, the first lady, with Figure 3, a humanoid robot developed by Figure AI, an artificial intelligence robotics company.
Credit...
Oliver Contreras/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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By
Katie Rogers
Katie Rogers covers the White House and is the author of a book on modern first ladies, including Melania Trump.
March 25, 2026
As first lady, Melania Trump promotes opportunities for foster children, argues for the eradication of online bullying and often travels to military bases in support of soldiers and their families.
She is also very into robots.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Trump appeared at the White House alongside Figure 3, a humanoid, A.I.-powered robot whose uses,
according to the company
that makes it, include fetching towels, carrying groceries and serving champagne. But Mrs. Trump joins tech executives and some researchers in envisioning a world beyond robot butlery. She is interested in how these robots could cut it as educators.
Both clad in shades of white, the first lady and the visiting robot walked into a gathering of first spouses from around the world, a group that included Sara Netanyahu of Israel, Olena Zelenska of Ukraine, and Brigitte Macron of France. The dulcet tones from a (presumably human) military orchestra played as the first lady and her guest entered the event.
Video
Melania Trump entered a White House summit on educational technology alongside a humanoid robot.
Credit
Credit...
Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
Both lady and robot extolled the virtues of further integrating robots into the educational and social lives of children. In the history of modern first-lady initiatives, which have included building a national book festival (Laura Bush), reshuffling the food pyramid (Michelle Obama) and advocating for free community college (Jill Biden), Mrs. Trump’s involvement of a humanoid robot in education policy was a first.
Figure 3 delivered brief remarks and delivered salutations in several language. With its sleek black-and-white appearance, Figure 3 would fit right in with the first lady’s branding aesthetic, which includes a
self-titled coffee table book
and
movie
, not least because the name
“MELANIA”
was emblazoned on the side of its glossy plastic head.
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