Having married one of the most controversial American presidents, Melania Trump has been scrutinized by the media since her husband’s inauguration in 2016. Seeing as Trump has taken a different approach to the presidency (and that’s putting it nicely), it’s only expected of Mrs. Trump to give the First Lady title a whole new meaning.
1. She didn’t want her husband to become POTUS in the first place. Unlike previous first ladies, who longed for their spouses to reach the White House, the former fashion model merely wanted Trump to run for president, only to fall short of the oval office. Although she believes her husband is fit to be POTUS, many sources claim that Melania Trump wasn’t fond of his presidential campaign. According to an article in “Rolling Stone” magazine, Mrs. Trump stated: “‘It’s not my thing. It’s Donald’s thing.’” In contrast to first ladies of the past, FLOTUS Trump doesn’t seek the power of a “first lady” title. In fact, she lacks a political agenda completely, which makes her somewhat of a “first lady figurehead.” I’ll elaborate more on Melania Trump’s nonexistent political motives later on, as her disinterest in American government deserves a subheading of its own.
2. She lacks an interest in politics. Melania Trump wasn’t involved in politics prior to husband’s presidential campaign. As stated before, she was a fashion model, and many of her photo shoots returned to haunt Trump during his campaign trail. When asked about his wife’s more “racy” photoshoots, President Trump responded with: “This was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania. In Europe, pictures like this are very fashionable and common.” Again, why should Mrs. Trump’s non-political endeavours affect her husband’s presidential campaign? If she chose to model in her late teens and early twenties, why did her photoshoots become relevant decades later? FLOTUS Trump’s activities and interests, both past and current, aren’t required to have a political agenda, and shouldn’t interfere with America’s perception of her – especially since she wanted to avoid first ladyhood altogether.
3. She doesn’t have a philanthropy. “Lady Bird” Johnson established the highway beautification project, the Bush women were passionate about child literacy and Michelle Obama combatted childhood obesity – what does Melania bring to the table? Well, according to an article in “Vogue” entitled “After Nearly a Year as First Lady, Melania Trump Charts an Uncertain Course”, Mrs. Trump has yet to delegate her “cause” as First Lady. While she’s involved with charities such as the American Cross, Love Our Children USA and the Police Athletic League, FLOTUS Trump hasn’t applied her “philanthropic” traits to the White House. In more recent years, Melania has supported charities such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Paralyzed Veterans of America. However, her charitable efforts aren’t visibly evident, in contrast to Michelle Obama’s change in public school lunches or Lady Bird Johnson’s beautification of America’s highways.