OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
1:58 PM – Wednesday, November 19, 2025
First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance embarked on their first joint trip with a heartfelt visit to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. There, the First and Second Ladies stopped by Lejeune High School, where they met students and honored America’s brave service members and their families with gratitude and unwavering patriotism.
On Wednesday, Melania and Usha paid a visit to the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast to thank troops and military families ahead of the holidays. As part of the day’s events on the base, their motorcade stopped at Lejeune High School as well.
Lejeune High School is located on Camp Lejeune, and it serves military dependents as part of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).
As the motorcade arrived, ten Marines stationed outside Lejeune High School snapped to attention, offering a salute to welcome the First and Second Ladies. Their presence added a ceremonial touch to the visit as well, showing the deep respect shared between military families and the nation’s leaders.
“I want to thank you, all of you, because you are military families behind our nation’s defense, and thank you for your service,” the First Lady announced inside the school’s gymnasium. “My husband, the president, is sending best regards. We are both thinking of you, and you’re in our thoughts and prayers for holidays, every day, but especially for the holidays.”
Melania also thanked the school for assembling 2,000 care packages for service members, which included useful items such as beef jerky sticks to snack on and DUDE Wipes — wet wipes marketed to men.
The First Lady continued her focus on responsibly harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) in education during the visit. She engaged directly with students, asking how they were using AI tools in their projects and listening as they explained the guardrails and ethical guidelines they followed to ensure proper use.
She warmly invited the students to visit her at the White House anytime they were in Washington, D.C.
However, the trip didn’t stop there, as the First and Second ladies also stopped by DeLalio Elementary School to join even younger students in the classroom for lessons and hands-on arts and crafts activities. DeLalio Elementary School is located on Camp Lejeune as well.
At one point, a young girl excitedly grabbed and pulled Usha by the hand to lead her away from the group, prompting the Second Lady to laughingly say, “I’m being pulled away!” The teacher then playfully intervened, calling out, “Share her!” to encourage the child to let others have a turn.
The moment, captured in a short clip shared widely on X, highlighted the warm, spontaneous reception Vance received from the military-connected children.
“She’s introducing me to all of them,” Usha said while smiling.
Melania could also be seen talking to the students as they cut paper for crafts, with a child hugging her in one clip.
While at DeLalio Elementary School, Melania and Usha sat at student tables featuring materials from the “Be Best” initiative, which focuses on children’s emotional, social, and physical well-being while addressing issues like bullying, online safety, and substance abuse.
This tied into broader discussions of child welfare, including President Trump’s signing of the Fostering the Future for American Children and Families Executive Order, which launches a program under Be Best to expand educational, employment, and support opportunities for foster youth through public-private partnerships.
Later, at the Mega Hangar on Marine Corps Air Station New River, they delivered remarks honoring the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary, with Melania highlighting their “courage, tradition, and excellence” while expressing gratitude to service members and families.
She then elaborated on her priorities for guiding youth in responsibly leveraging technologies like AI to foster innovation and safety.
“Technology is changing the art of war,” Melania remarked. “Predictably, AI will alter war more profoundly than any technology since nuclear weapons.”
“To win the AI war, we must train our next generation, for it is America’s students who will lead the Marine Corps in the future,” she added.
Melania further praised Lejeune High School for embracing the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge, which she announced in September to encourage K-12 students to use their innovation and creativity to “solve real-world problems in their communities using AI-powered solutions.
“Artificial intelligence is propelling America’s military into a new era. We are moving from human operators to human overseers – fast.” The shift from soldiers to machines is already underway: autonomous helicopters, swarming drones, and recon aircraft are here now. Fighter-less jets and autonomous bombers are on the way,” she stated.
The First Lady also honored two “outstanding marines,” saying: “I would like to take a moment to welcome to the stage two outstanding Marines who are being recognized for their service. Sergeant Blake Donoher, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Warrior of the Month and Corporal Daishamari Cannon, the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 NCO of the Quarter.”
She concluded her speech by thanking the service members and their families for their “strength and love,” and for being “the quiet strength of our nation” — wishing them a very happy Thanksgiving.
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