Most people think a trip to the White House means you get a favor. Teresa Giudice just proved that is not how the system works. The Real Housewives star walked right up to the President’s door to ask for a pardon for her ex-husband. She did not get one. She did not even get a clear answer from the staff member who greeted them.
Teresa and her daughter Gia went to the White House on Friday for a Columbus Day celebration. The New York Post reported the photo showed them standing right outside the Oval Office. They were there “at the invitation of the President & First Lady in honor of Columbus Day & Italian-American heritage,” according to reports.
The Daily Wire noted this visit happened while the family still fights for Joe Giudice’s return. Before his 2019 deportation to Italy, Joe spent 41 months in federal prison for fraud. Now he is living in the Bahamas, and the family wants him back in America.
Teresa made her feelings clear to the cameras. “Even though Joe and I are not together, I would love for him to come back to America,” she said. She believes he belongs here because he has lived here since he was one year old. Her daughter Gia has been louder about the issue. In July 2025, Gia publicly requested that Trump grant her father a pardon. She told the world that the family has lived in “emotional limbo” for over four years. Gia even cited the pardons of reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley as proof that it can be done.
But the White House staff has a very specific rule about this. Deputy Assistant to the President Lynne Patton posted a message to make sure everyone understood her role. “I am not in charge of pardons. Nor do I decide who receives them,” Patton stated clearly.
She added that the power belongs solely to the President. Patton did say she believes in second chances, but she drew a hard line on who holds the pen. According to the New York Post, Patton emphasized that she does not base these decisions on advice from the White House Pardon Czar or White House Counsel.
This visit was not a secret meeting. It was a public event for Italian-American heritage. The Daily Wire reported that the Giudices were there to celebrate, but they used the moment to push their case. Teresa has remarried Luis Ruelas since the divorce. The family has faced other struggles too, including a recent breakdown by another daughter, Milania. Yet the focus remains on Joe. The first lady’s office declined to comment on the specific request. The New York Post confirmed the photo date as Oct. 9, 2026.
