Melania Trump's work as first lady apart from her husband
Although his assignments and public appearances have been rare so far, perhaps that is all he can do given his situation.
This Monday, the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump, presented a new initiative aimed at children at the White House. The project is called Be Best and its aim is to "educate children about the many problems and issues they face today," the first lady told reporters.
This public appearance to announce a seemingly modest set of proposals serves as a reminder of the challenges Melania Trump has faced as first lady, playing an inconspicuous role laden with gender stereotypes and a lack of definition due to attitude. extremely divisive and her husband's inordinate fondness for chaos.
Although he was not originally scheduled to attend, the president himself joined his wife at the lectern, a day after The Washington Post reported that the couple spent most of their time in the separate White House, and that they had been very different lives.
At the beginning of Trump's term, the first lady made a plea to prioritize the fight against virtual bullying, and she has so far dedicated several speeches and White House events to this issue. Predictably, her efforts have often been mocked, considering the multiple ad hominem attacks and her husband's invective on Twitter.
"It is clear to me that many people are skeptical about the fact that I speak about this issue," Melania Trump acknowledged in March. "I have received criticism for my commitment to this problem and I know that they will not stop, but that is not going to stop me from doing what I know is right," she added.
Before Monday's event, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized a reporter's question about the first lady's apparent hypocrisy in taking an interest in cyberbullying in light of the president's multiple tantrums in Twitter "From my point of view it is quite ridiculous that you blame the president for the existence of cyberbullying," Sanders said at a press conference at the White House.
Melania has also expressed interest in other issues, such as the country's opioid crisis and the effect it has on children and families.
By distancing herself from her husband, she may be reinventing the role of the first lady and disrupting public expectations of her.
Monday's announcement has been the culmination of those first forays for her as first lady, by establishing three areas of politics that she intends to focus on: wellness, social media and opiate abuse.
It's strange that a first lady hadn't clearly defined her initiatives until now, at this point in her husband's tenure, according to Kate Nadersen Brower, author of First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies.
And yet, Melania Trump "has been, in her own way, the best first lady that she could be," given that she faces an "impossible situation," says Brower. And by distancing herself from her husband, she may be reinventing the role of the first lady and disrupting public expectations of her, even in other more traditional tasks.
So far, the first lady's main job has been to participate in ceremonies, like last month, when she received the first state visit to the White House by the French president and his wife, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, at the State Dinner at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron on April 24.
Brower also points out that Melania Trump has acted in tragedies as "consoling," that is, visiting hurricane survivors and representing her husband's cabinet at the funeral of Barbara Bush, the former first lady. These scenarios allow Melania to be "really empathetic and sympathize with people in a way that her husband doesn't," adds Brower.
In addition, she contrasts with her husband in the way he tries to avoid participating in attacks, whether personal or political. Many political observers have pointed out that the first lady has not responded to her husband's personal scandals, including her alleged extramarital affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. There was an exception during the election campaign, after the Access Hollywood tape was released in October 2016, in which the president bragged about sexually abusing women. In this case, Melania defended her husband saying that her allegations were "a way of speaking typical of boys."
"I think it was very smart of her to stay out of it. She is learning that the best thing to do is to focus on bipartisan and non-contentious issues, go to state dinners and do her job to the best of her ability," says Kate Nadersen Brower.
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Trump with Brigitte Macron, visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington (United States).
Like other first ladies, Trump has been subject to scrutiny and speculation about her dress and her personal life. Her marriage to this president has sparked fascination and her body language has been thoroughly analyzed during their interactions.
Brower affirms that Trump is still "a hieroglyph", unlike some of her predecessors, who were more accessible to the press.
Interestingly, Trump has elicited sympathy in somewhat unexpected places, specifically in pop culture performances and in social media memes. On Stephen Colbert's show, actress Laura Benati defines Trump as a desperate and defiant person.
In a way, this is a feminist act: not doing what is expected of her.
This past weekend Saturday Night Live talked about the Stormy Daniels scandal. Cecily Strong represented the first lady, in a role in which she looked happy to be able to testify against the president in his legal debacles.
In real life, Trump's "silence" on the Daniels case and "her refusal to be with her husband" shows how far she has defied the expectations of a first lady, according to Brower.
"I think that, in a way, it is a feminist act: not doing what is expected of her," says Brower. "People underestimate her," she adds, as are many women who are judged on her appearance.
"She has refused to do many of the things that are expected of her and does not seem to care what we think as a country. I think that is something quite new," the expert ditches.
