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Melania Trump Has Found Her Footing
When Melania Trump enters the White House on January 20, she anticipates a very different experience than the time she spent there in President Trump’s first term.
Do you remember how poorly she was treated?
Never has there been so much lingering hostility so long after a presidential election.
Much of this hostility has been aimed at the first family, with a particularly cruel emphasis on Melania Trump.
And yet, despite the barrage of insults attacking her, including the New York Times reporter who referred to her as a hooker and the ex-boxer who called her a golddigger, the first lady continues to demonstrate grace, kindness and patience.
Although many first ladies have been indulged by international designers, Melania was shunned by them:
According to Daily Mail, Toni Holt Kramer, the founder of the Trumpettes support group and a close pal of Trump and his spouse, stated: ‘Things are very different this time around.’ Melania received harsh treatment from designers when Trump was first elected as the US president. This was because the designers didn’t want to be linked to Trump’s ‘toxic’ political style.
‘People spoke out against her and refused to dress her. She was shunned and treated appallingly but acted with nothing but class. It must have been hard for her. Now people are begging to dress her.’
She was also attacked repeatedly over those four years on social media.
But Melania appears to be turning the page with a new and refreshing attitude. She realizes that the times have changed, as has President Trump. And she is showing a new confidence and excitement about entering the White House this time around:
Asked what is different this time around, Melania Trump talked about being familiar with the process but appeared to take a jab at the Obama administration, claiming it withheld information in 2017.
‘I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process. The first time was challenging. We didn’t have much of the information. The information was upheld for us from the previous administration,’ she said.
She continued, ‘But this time, I have everything. I have plans I could move in. I already packed, I already selected the, you know, the furniture that needs to go in. So, it’s very different.’
The public has also had the opportunity to learn more about her. She doesn’t hesitate to hold different opinions than her husband, such as her being pro-choice. She has also written a memoir which has allowed people to know more about her story and her private life. She is looking forward to again sponsoring the initiative she began in the first term, “Be Best.”
One observer, Donna Rice Hughes, is CEO and president of Enough Is Enough (EIE) and has been a pioneering leader on the front lines to prevent the Internet-enabled exploitation of children and families since 1994. She believes Melania has other assets to bring to her time as first lady. She understands well the vitriol that can be experienced through social media:
Given the scope of the issue, Melania has and should continue to find common ground. Liberals and conservatives share many core values, including a belief in the importance of family and a willingness to fight to protect their children. Since April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month (as President Trump declared just last week), now is the time to encourage all Americans to put aside their differences and put their children first.
And Ms. Rice added this advice:
I encourage Melania to continue to hold her head high and to demonstrate, by word and deed, what it really means to take the high road. The American people are watching, and they need a leading lady.
[First published in American Thinker on January 15, 2025]
Published in Culture
I thought the same thing, Susan, as I watched her today. She seems to be enjoying every moment.
I just caught another moment of Trump’s second speech…and Melania’s smile shines through.
She has been a great first lady. Look at the YouTube videos of the White House Christmas decorations she envisioned and directed. Rich, beautiful, plush. The Bidens gave us decorations that asked the question: Are these people even Christian?
Seems better to me.
I love that Melania is once again FLOTUS. She brings grace and class and also a bit of badassery:
I was delighted to see her smiling so much. She seems happy.
I don’t know what to make of her. Her recent “Zorro” hat was really discussed internationally, which was probably the point. It made her look distant, and apart from everyone else. I would say that our most popular First Lady in my lifetime was Barbara Bush. She had a common touch, despite having been born to an elite family and married into another one. Living in Midland, Texas starting early in her marriage probably had a lot to do with it.
Melania has and will be the most distant First Lady since Jacqueline Kennedy.
She will be admired from afar, but not loved.
That’s not the feedback I’m getting. People love that she has a sense of humor, has shown such courage and soldiers on. I think love develops from admiration. But your comment about Barbara Bush is spot on.
I loved the hat and want one but am afraid I couldn’t afford it. I would love for hats to return. It wouldn’t be strange for me having spent over 20 years with my head covered in the AF. Little known fact, women in a woman’s hat don’t have to remove it for the National Anthem. Announcers always say “gentlemen, remove your hats” but if a woman is wearing a unisex hat like a baseball cap, they should remove it, too. You will see veterans who have served many years forgetting to remove their hats. That isn’t because they are rude but because their heads were always covered when outside for the National Anthem. To be otherwise seems unnatural. As for me, I remove my baseball hat. It still feels odd after 25 years of retirement but my salute, thanks to all those years of muscle memory, whips up and my fingers still end up where the brim of the hat would have been. Changing the code so we vets could salute was one good law Congress passed. I cherish every opportunity to do so.
From grok:
“Melania Trump wore a wide-brimmed, navy boater-style hat with a white band or stripe for Donald Trump’s second inauguration in 2025. This hat was designed by the American milliner Eric Javits. The hat was noted for its significant visual impact, drawing attention by casting a shadow over her face and somewhat obscuring her eyes, which led to various interpretations and reactions on social media. The design was intentionally chosen to match her outfit, which consisted of a navy blue silk wool coat and skirt by American designer Adam Lippes, paired with an ivory silk crepe blouse. This ensemble was described as classic, sharply tailored, and somewhat austere, fitting into the narrative of Melania’s fashion choices during this event.”
Also, from Grok…warning to husbands…
Not a problem if she wants A Javits hat. More of a problem if she wants EVERY Javits hat.
Distant is fine. I don’t think there is a list of best First Ladies. There are only competitors for worst. Some, like Melania Trump and Jacqueline Kennedy are neutral.
Barbara Bush was not popular with me. She goes into the worst competition along with Nancy Reagan, though of course they weren’t as bad as Eleanor Roosevelt or Hillary Clinton, who vie for the top (worst) spot. Even Abigail Adams was a bad influence on her husband in pushing for the Alien and Sedition Acts. Martha Washington hectored her husband into abusing his power to get a federal government employee to help her get a runaway slave back. It was a pretty small abuse, but corruption has got to start somewhere.
Ladybird Johnson pushed her highway beautification project, which was annoying but was relatively harmless. I don’t know that I’ve heard anything bad about Rosalyn Carter. Nor have I heard anything bad about James Buchanan’s wife. Grover Cleveland got married while in office, to a girl almost 30 years younger than he. She was OK at the time, and remarried after her husband died, but in old age had a bad habit of insisting on voting for Democrats in honor of her first husband’s memory.