Melania Trump, a First Lady who is looking for her place
Nine months after her husband's arrival at the White House, Melania Trump is struggling to find her place as First Lady, wiping at each exit criticism intended primarily for her husband, regardless of his efforts to reach consensus.
The dinner she organized on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly provided a new example, which earned her a new round of taunts on the tweetosphere.
Often criticized for her reluctance to fully assume the role of First Lady, Donald Trump's third wife had nevertheless done things right by inviting a hundred wives of world leaders to dinner.
Big bouquets of roses on the tables, classical music quartet in the background, dressed in an electric pink dress signed Delpozo, she had prepared a rare speech, steeped in good feelings, for those who share the life of the great people of this world.
Consensus theme chosen: the protection of children. Melania Trump urged her counterparts to work with her to improve their lot and "lead by example" in ethics.
"We need to teach our children the values of empathy and communication which are at the heart of kindness, conscience, integrity and leadership, which can only be taught by example," said the 'ex-model, 47, with the accent she kept from her native Slovenia.
“I hope you will share my commitment to teaching the next generation to follow the golden rule: 'Treat others as you would like them to treat you' (...) We need to focus on the message and the content they are exposed to on a daily basis via social media, the bullying they experience online or in person, ”she said.
On social networks the negative responses were immediate, and Internet users did not fail to recall her husband's deviations from this golden rule and his frequent diatribes against his opponents or against countries hostile to Washington, as when he threatened Tuesday at the UN to "completely destroy" North Korea.
"Go home"
“She can't talk seriously. Melania, go home and make this speech to your HUSBAND, ”reacted in particular Charles Blow, a columnist for the New York Times who, with nearly 400,000 subscribers, summed up the content of the criticisms on Twitter.
Critics that do not facilitate the task of the one who, since January, has struggled to assume the tasks usually assigned to the wife of the tenant of the White House.
Many had already sneered when, from the first weeks, she had indicated that she wanted to make the fight against cyber-bullying one of her priorities, while her husband is perceived as an all-round champion of the discipline.
She had also been mocked at the end of August, for having flown in stilettos to Texas to examine with her husband the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
Is it better perceived abroad? She had had more positive reactions after her visit to the Vatican in May, when she had a discussion with the Pope about a Slovenian dessert, the potica.
Or during the Trump's visit to Paris on July 14, when she spoke in French to the children at Necker hospital.
On Wednesday, his speech was applauded by his counterparts from around the world, foremost among which was French First Lady Brigitte Macron.
Mirror of the privileged dialogue that Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump seem to have established, the two women dined side by side, with Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau as a neighbor.
