First Lady Melania Trump is scheduled to visit Ashe County on Tuesday, becoming the fifth member of the White House to make a trip to the High Country in recent decades. This upcoming visit marks the first time a White House figure has focused specifically on Ashe County since President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore's joint visit 27 years earlier. It also represents the first White House visit to the High Country overall since late 2020.
The most recent prior visit occurred on November 1, 2020, when Vice President Mike Pence made a brief stop in Boone. Pence attended the 9 a.m. service at Alliance Bible Fellowship on a Sunday morning, doing so as a guest of Franklin Graham. Graham, who serves as president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, a prominent organization based in Boone, was present alongside the Vice President. While attending the service, Pence did not speak during the proceedings but did greet reporters alongside Graham before the service commenced, marking a significant, albeit brief, moment for the local community.
Before Pence’s visit, President Barack Obama made an unannounced stop in downtown Boone on October 17, 2011. This visit was part of a broader three-day bus tour across the region, during which the President was promoting his American Jobs Act. Obama’s bus arrived in Boone in the early afternoon, drawing local attention. During his stop, the President visited Mast General Store, where he was observed browsing candy and took the opportunity to greet numerous local residents. Following his interaction with the community, Obama continued his tour, traveling onward to Wilkes County later that same day. His appearance in Boone was set within a larger national push to garner support for his jobs bill among voters, anticipating the upcoming 2012 election cycle.
Further back in the history of White House visits to the High Country, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore traveled to Ashe County on July 30, 1998. Their visit had a specific focus: the designation of the New River as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers. This designation was made under President Clinton's American Heritage Rivers Initiative, an effort to recognize and protect significant waterways across the nation. The official ceremony for this designation was held at the Boggs Community Farm in Ashe County. During the event, President Clinton publicly expressed his gratitude to North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt for his support of the New River’s designation. The New River Watershed is a substantial geographical feature, spanning 21 counties across three states: North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Beyond direct White House incumbency, Boone has also hosted a former president. On April 29, 2008, Bill Clinton, who had been out of office for more than seven years at that point, returned to the High Country to speak at Appalachian State University. He delivered his remarks at 3:15 p.m. in the Varsity Gymnasium on campus. At this time, he was actively campaigning on behalf of his wife, Hillary Clinton, during her Democratic presidential primary campaign. His appearance in Boone was part of a particularly busy day for the former president, who also made campaign stops that same afternoon in North Wilkesboro and at Elkin High School, underscoring the importance of the region in the political landscape.
Melania Trump’s upcoming visit on Tuesday continues a tradition of high-level engagement with the High Country, connecting the present administration to the historical thread of presidential and vice-presidential attention spanning several decades.
