WASHINGTON — While First Lady Melania Trump typically draws all the attention when she walks into a room, on Wednesday she had to share the spotlight with an unusual guest that stole the show.
A humanoid robot joined the first lady as she entered the White House East Room for the closing session of an international summit focused on her Fostering the Future Together global initiative. The gathering brought together leaders from multiple countries to explore how education, innovation and artificial intelligence can better serve children worldwide.
Both Melania Trump and her mechanical companion made their entrance together, walking at a measured pace down the red carpet from the far end of the corridor. The first lady stopped short of the East Room doorway as the robot continued forward, moving around the panel table before positioning itself at the room’s center.
After briefly surveying the crowd, the robot began to speak.
“Thank you, first lady Melania Trump, for inviting me to the White House. It is an honor to be at Fostering the Future Together’s global coalition inaugural meeting,” the machine stated.
“I’m Figure 03, a humanoid built for the United States of America,” the robot added. “I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.”
The robot then offered greetings in 10 different languages before saying “Welcome” and expressing gratitude to attendees. It concluded its appearance by walking back along the red carpet.
Figure AI, a California-based startup located in Sunnyvale, unveiled Figure 03 in October 2025 as their latest third-generation humanoid designed to assist with domestic chores like doing laundry, cleaning homes and handling dishwashing duties, based on company materials and their website.
Company CEO Brett Adcock posted on social media that he felt “proud to see F.03 make history as the first humanoid robot in the White House.”
The California company faces stiff competition from established players like Boston Dynamics and Tesla under Elon Musk, along with numerous Chinese firms, all racing to develop human-like robots capable of performing everyday tasks.
