What is a Facebook feed without seeing Donald Trump smiling back at you as you scroll? Haven’t you ever wondered about that beautiful woman around his arm? Most people know nothing about her besides maybe…Gold Digger?
Many are curious to know more about his “stand by my man” wife, Melania. She is beautiful, chic, stylish and enviable. But all those things barely graze the surface of what a woman really is, yet that’s all the public knows about her. Who is she? What organizations has she been involved in? Is she worthy of being our potential First Lady of the United States?
If you don’t think being First Lady is a serious position, then you’re wrong. And that’s sugar-coating it. A first lady can make changes for the better, like Michelle Obama, who has worked on pushing health and nutrition in the United States. They can also make changes for the worse like Hillary Clinton, who led the reform on health care in 1993 that infamously failed within a year. Even still, don’t second-guess the responsibilities of a First Lady. She is meant to represent our country to political leaders around the world, stand with her husband and country during tough times and make as big of a difference in four years as she can.
If Trump is elected, she will become the second First Lady to be born outside of the United States. She became a naturalized citizen in 2006 and believes everyone coming to the United States needs to do it legally. Close friends describe Melania as a homebody–who wouldn’t be a homebody if they had a Manhattan penthouse mansion decorated in 24k gold overlooking the skyline of New York City? They believe she will make a great first lady because she stays out of the public eye, is poised and elegant and they even compare her to Jackie Kennedy. The only organization or ties to I could find is some work she has done with the American Red Cross. She is linguistically talented, a fluent speaker of English, Slovenian, German and French. She’s greatly traveled and knows her way around European relations.
She is also a bit of a businesswoman herself since launching her own jewelry line that nets over $1 million a year on that channel you never watch, the QVC network.
Melania and Donald were married in January of 2005 and had their first child, Barron Trump, the next year. This winter wedding wasn’t Mr. Trump’s first trip down the aisle. He had been married two times before, the first of which ended in a scandal involving “another woman,” Marla Maples, who later became his second wife. However, this doesn’t seem to bother Melania. In an interview with Barbara Walters, she remains strong and declares that “she knows who she is and if a man doesn’t want her, she doesn’t want him.”
This small amount of information about sums up what can be found on the potential First Lady. However, there is one aspect of Melania’s life which hasn’t been discussed and that’s her modeling career. She began modeling around 16 and was very successful before her marriage to Trump.
Lastly, let’s get to the elephant in the room – the obvious age difference between Mr. and Mrs. Trump. Melania is 45 years old making her 24 years younger than Donald. To some this is definitely a problem as people label her as a gold digger. They met at a Fashion Week party in 1998 where the couple exchanged numbers and seven years later, in January of 2005, she was walking down the aisle. This begs the question, would a 28 year old supermodel marry just any 52 year old man? Did Melania really decide to marry Donald Trump with no influence by his wealth and lavish lifestyle? Does she have what it takes? You can decide.
Let me end by saying this: Without some of our First Ladies, we as a country, wouldn’t be where we are today. Eleanor Roosevelt spent her time as First Lady constantly pushing women’s rights. Betty Ford was known for her outspoken opinions on taboo subjects of her time like abortion, mental health and drug dependency. Edith Wilson was even nicknamed “the first woman president” after her husband Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke and was unable to perform his duties. Remember that behind every great man is a great woman. So before you run to the polls to vote for Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, or any other canidate running for President, take a look at his partner in crime, because he or she is important too.
Editor Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the journalists’ alone. They do not represent Her Campus at the University of Utah or Her Campus on an international level. Thank you for your devotion and dedication to our magazine.