Jill Biden leads Joe off the stage after dismal debate... while Melania breaks decades of precedent by NOT appearing with Trump

Jill Biden led Joe Biden off stage after his debate debacle on Thursday night = while Melania Trump broke decades of tradition by not showing up.

Donald Trump was left to exit solo after resoundingly defeating Joe Biden in the debate. 

The president, who sounded hoarse and fumbled repeatedly as he searched for words, took comfort from his wife in the aftermath.

Jill Biden walked out on stage to hug and kiss her husband after the event ended. 

But in another awkward moment for the President, he was seen struggling to climb down the stairs to speak to moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.

It was an unfortunate final image to cap off a night that sparked Democratic meltdown that the president will need to be replaced on the ballot. 

Biden froze in the first 12 minutes of the debate, leaving Democrats into a panic about the state of their candidate. 

While Jill Biden was at her husband's side, Melania Trump was nowhere to be seen.

The Trump campaign remained silent when asked if the former first lady would attend the first presidential showdown. 

Officials said it would be revealed at the debate.

As many predicted, she never appeared.

The former president arrived in Atlanta solo on Trump Force One - and left the same way.  

It was a remarkable break in tradition. 

Melania Trump did attend all debates in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles.

'Families started attending the debates regularly in 1976 and it would be pretty shocking for the wife of a candidate to break that tradition,' presidential historian Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky said. 

Her absence follows a reports she may not live in Washington D.C. fulltime if her husband wins a second term in the White House.

Those close to the former first lady believe she will likely split her time between  Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City – especially with Barron, 18, tipped to attend New York University

Melania would instead only travel to Washington, D.C. for ceremonial responsibilities like state dinners and other special events. 

Her office did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com about the report. 

'They have drawn a curtain of privacy' around her, said MaryAnne Borrell, a bipartisan professor of Government at Connecticut College.

Public sightings of Melania are rare, particularly when it comes to Donald Trump's attempt to win a second term in the White House.

Six months into 2024 she has yet to appear at a campaign rally for her husband. She did not appear at a June 14th birthday party for Donald Trump organized by his fan club.

Melania Trump has rarely showed public support for her husband as he seeks a second term in the White House.

She joined Trump when he announced his 2024 presidential bid in November of last year. But, otherwise, she only appeared at one fundraiser for his campaign and went to vote with her husband in Florida's primary. 

'Stay tuned,' she told reporters when asked if she'd campaign for Trump.

But it's unclear what she meant by that. 

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend of Melania Trump turned critic, said the former first lady has 'not been by her husband's side whatsoever' as he seeks a return to the White House.

'I would say, several years ago, she would have been there more,' Winston Wolkoff said on the MeidasTouch Podcast.

Melania Trump will make a rare political appearance on July 8th when she holds a fundraiser for Log Cabin Republicans, the largest conservative LGBTQ+ organization.

The event will be at Trump Tower in New York and is the second fundraiser she's hosted for the group. The first was at Mar-a-Lago in April.

The July event will charge attendees $100,000 per-head.

She was last seen in public in New York City last week, leaving Trump Tower, beating the heat in a summer skirt and white shirt.

The couple was last seen in public together in May at Barron's high school graduation.