Melania Trump Launches Imperia at NYSE to Push Women's Economic Power

Melania Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday to launch Imperia, a new initiative aimed at helping women become leaders and build economic power.

The group's members include chief executives, founders, innovators and entrepreneurs. Speaking to a meeting of the initiative, the first lady said the next chapter for women goes beyond securing a place at the table.

"For generations, women fought for a seat at the table," she said. "The next chapter is about owning, growing and making space for the women who come next."

She described that chapter as one of owning businesses, equity, real estate, capital and investment assets, along with ideas, intellectual property and economic futures. Women, she argued, are not simply participants in the marketplace but its foundation and infrastructure, and she said the full scale of their power in the global economy is still not fully understood.

While much of her public work has centred on children, Imperia draws on her business background to encourage women to harness their economic strength.

In a television interview earlier on Wednesday, the first lady touched on several other subjects, including this week's state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, her efforts to reunite children separated by Russia's war in Ukraine, an upcoming docuseries and the pace of her public appearances.

Asked about recent reports that she is seen in public less often than during the first Trump term, she said the difference lies in her focus on results. "You don't see me everywhere, but behind the scenes I'm working nonstop," she said, pointing to preparations for her New York events around the United Nations General Assembly and for Xi's visit.

She was closely involved in planning the Xi visit and said the president chose to greet the Chinese leader personally on arrival because of their strong relationship, rather than following the usual practice of welcoming leaders at the White House.

On Ukraine, she said she had helped reunite five groups of Ukrainian and Russian children with their families as of July, and that her team is working on another reunification. She said she maintains a direct channel with leaders of the two countries and wants as many children as possible to be reunited, calling their situation heartbreaking.

The first lady also rang the NYSE bell in January, ahead of the release of an Amazon documentary about her life in the weeks before Donald Trump's second inauguration. A new two-part docuseries will arrive in the fall, which she said will differ from the film and include surprises, describing it as more of a one-on-one conversation in which she answers private questions.