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I don’t understand why this rich lady would want to even act frugal, much less be frugal, but my opinion of the First Couple continues to rise. I know some will say that even this is too much, but it is very impressive to me, and should be to all Americans.
Bet this does not get reported in the MSM or go viral on Facebook.
I appreciate hearing there is at least one person affiliated with the government who displays respect for my labor by not wasting my money. Thanks for posting the story.
Donald and Melania Trump earned their money. People who earn salaries are more predisposed to husband it wisely. Neither Barack nor Michelle Obama earned one cent of their pay. In fact, you can say that both of them have extorted their way to fame and fortune. They both felt “entitled” to all the world’s riches and adulation, making up for all the “oppression” they “suffered” at the hands of “The Man”, so had no qualms whatsoever about taking separate planes on their many vacations.
I have always had one vivid picture in my mind of the Obamas’ first night in the White House. I can see both of them gleefully bouncing up and down on the beds, screaming with joy. Whee! We made it!!
I really like Melania (somewhat to my surprise). She never seems to need to be the center of attention. When she visits someone in the hospital or whatever, it’s not about her. And she doesn’t seem to make a big performance out of everything.
Which is all the more impressive, given that she is extraordinarily beautiful.
I do too.
I became quite fond of her when I saw her lead a campaign crowd in the Lord’s Prayer. She took it so seriously. It was clear that she felt the way any of us feels when we are trying to say something that even seems to remotely represent God. :)
She is a very nice person. I like her very much.
I too am surprised at how much I have come to like Melania. She has an air of calmness and grace about her. I wish she could stay out of the cross hairs of the main stream media, because she certainly doesn’t deserve what she has gotten from them. I’m sure if the cost-cutting story is reported, there will be some snarky spin to it.
At first I misread this as “mean stream media.” I think it’s more accurate that way.
Can someone cite the section of the Constitution which specifies the duties of the First Lady?
Melania should have a staff of zero. Nada. Zilch. Anything more than that is an outrage.
I wonder who the first FLOTUS was who had a taxpayer-supported staff.
This one could pay for her own staff, no?
I’m going to go with Eleanor Roosevelt.
I googled it. It appears to have been Teddy Roosevelt’s wife.
It would be great if the first lady turns out to as classy as she looks. The previous one was an “aprovechada” The word “opportunist” doesn’t capture the same meaning as the Spanish version which includes a classless new rich tone, but new rich with someone else’s wealth. We saw that with the Clinton’s as well.
Yeah, but the books were from the “racist” Dr. Seuss, so doubleplusungood.
Those visits are wonderful. They’re also not the taxpayer’s concern, or at least ought not be.
Let’s cut it in half again! Then again. Then again.
Why the qualifier?
Well, RushBabe49, in all fairness, I have to admit that I’d be doing the very same thing if my husband had just won the presidency. That has to be the biggest thrill of a lifetime to go through a physically and mentally taxing campaign, and then walk through that door as pres. I’ve often wondered if the first night in the White House is as romantic as I’ve always imagined it would be.
She is a testimony to style, grace and manners like Jackie O – I really like her.
She has dignity.
Before pushing this too far, I’d like to see how much is being spent by/for Ivanka.
Sometimes, I’m like Nostradamus of the 21st Century. Scary.
I wish that Trump would figure out how to tell the Secret Service to give it a rest, so that we could end the Imperial Presidency and reduce the astronomical costs it takes for the President to travel.
He did walk around the lawn with that kid who mowed it. Didn’t see SS agents* hovering too near by then.
*With some of the leftovers from the previous administration this might be a “misnomer.”
That’s a good start, but we didn’t elect anyone to any office titled “First Lady” and she shouldn’t have any staff at all.
I disagree. The First Lady has a full calendar of duties that have been developed through many decades of traditions. The Vice President gets a staff, but in order to carry out his Constitutionally-appointed duties he might only need a single appointments secretary.
Recent First Ladies needed a bigger staff in order to help the First Lady with paybacks to Party members who provided significant support to her husband’s campaign. Visits to congressional districts were scheduled in part as awards to deserving congressmen who carried water for the Presidential campaign. However, since Trump is not beholden to more than a half-dozen Republicans, there is little need for support staff to make sure that these visits get scheduled.
Also, I am pretty sure that some members of Michelle’s staff in 2009 were spending significant time preparing for the 2012 campaign, and after that were helping on Democrat senate campaigns. There is no indication that Melania is using her staff as never-ending campaign staff. That was a tradition that got started by Hillary.
I’m not quite sure why this is a taxpayer obligation. If it’s party stuff, let the party pay for it.
I assumed it was sarcasm. Maybe not?
It’s possible, and I just missed it. But MJ’s not ordinarily given to sarcasm.
Thanks. I am not one to write sarcasm, because when you are good at it, it is hard for the reader to tell.
In this case, I agree that the staffers who are helping a First Lady with activities that are primarily partisan politics should not be a taxpayer expense. Nevertheless, this is precisely what some of the First Lady’s activities are. This became much worse with Hillary. I don’t think Laura Bush was nearly so bad; she was harkening back to the exemplary example of Barbara Bush. With Michelle O., it was hard to tell because of the fawning press coverage she received. I assume from the size of her staff that Mrs. Obama was even worse than Hillary, but this is just a guess.
And this is a good reason to be especially appreciative of Melania Trump.
The more I learn about Melania Trump, the more she reminds me of Laura Bush, and that’s no small compliment.