I sincerely doubt the public will ever learn what really goes on in her mind regarding her husband and politics in general. Since she is generally well regarded--even among Democrats--it's a shame she hasn't embraced her role as First Lady by taking advantage of her extraordinary opportunity to champion any significant causes. Her "Be best" campaign against cyber bullying is rendered ridiculous, given that she's married to the biggest bully around.
5
Ouch, the amount of hate and superior tone of judgement in these letters and you wonder why she rarely speaks. I gather she is very aware of the situation and hence the silence. We are bullies, darn this.
4
The photo of the couple standing close together with Melania's hand curled toward her rather than on his arm or touching hands seems imply coldness toward each other. We don't really know anything about their relationship other than that she is willing to live apart from him (formerly in NYC and now in her own room), that she was seen slapping his hand away as he attempted to hold hers, and that she often expresses an opposing view. For most of us that would indicate a marriage on the rocks or at least a marriage of convenience rather than true affection. The photo of Melania in a crisp white dress standing next to Donald's rumpled trousers and famously ill-fitting suit presents to the entire world the image of an aging beauty with sophisticated taste who has chosen to associate herself with an obnoxious, walking fashion faux pas. Why, Melania? Why? There isn't enough money in the world... Is her plea that we Be Best merely a smoke screen for an equally self-absorbed and out-of-touch opportunist? Or perhaps he has some hidden charm?
8
I do not believe Melania was a "fashion model" working in the fashion industry as stated in this article but actually a photography model who became successful after the nude photographs in GQ Magazine in 2000.
13
Now is a good time to re-examine the First Ladies that are held up as the epitomes of perfection.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a painfully shy upper class aristocratic woman who was dubious about her role as First Lady. She had no choice but to become more proactive as First Lady because her husband was confined to a wheelchair. FDR's political advisor Louis Howe had to give her lessons In public speaking so she would sound credible.
Jackie Kennedy became First Lady because she accepted a hefty bribe from her domineering father in law to stay married to her philandering spouse. She had no choice but to live a lie as long as she lived in the White House.
So why don't we cut Melania Trump some slack already? She didn't bargain for the stress and aggravation that comes with
being the most ridiculed First Lady in modern history.
5
Your article should clarify the fact that Melania Trump is on the record supporting Donald Trump's claims that President Obama was not born in the United States.
25
I don't see my original comment - how unusual. In the first few paragraphs we are told - anonymously - that Trump replaced Melania's pretty furniture with his, of course, ugly, low-class furniture. It is not until about the 16th paragraph that we have a denial of this from an actual on-the-record source. I know the Times is making Melania out to be Nora before the door slams but at least you could bother to name sources when defaming her and the President.
3
If you marry for money, you end up earning every penny. A gilded cage is still a cage.
23
I can not believe I wasted 10 minutes of my life reading about this boring trophy wife; nothing especially deep or new or riveting was revealed about her.
21
Yes Melania was a model, but not a fashion model...they are different types of modeling. She did mostly glamor shots for men's magazine, not high fashion and not fashion runway. She does not seem very popular w/ most Americans.
23
Complicit doesn't even come close to how Melania and her step children operate. Hypocrites who worship money above all else. I have read the comments of those who complain about "poor Melania," and how "mean" we are to her. Well, I pooh-pooh that. People who have significant power and refuse to use it for good are simply awful. While she suffocates in her gilded cage and acts like a petulant child - the world suffers. The other two wives and the numerous paramours are no different - silenced by money and greed. I only hope that the next generation of Trumps will finally find a heart beneath all of their genetic baggage disguised by their parent's designer clothes, taut faces, and baked on tans. I also hope that the bone spurs are recessive - it must be debilitating. Ugh.
24
A wife staying in a bad marriage for the "sake of a child" is not a good thing. It is not good for the child, or the wife. I don't know if Ms. Trump has a good marriage or a bad marriage. If I was married to this wreck of a human, it would be a bad marriage. But then, that's me.
17
Melania Trump is being well paid for her stent in the White House. Don't forget sob sisters and brothers she joined in with her husband on the 'birther' debacle. She can't give a speech without plagiarizing. Her stand on bullies is ludicrous since she lives with the biggest bully in America. She visited the immigrant children kidnapped from their parents with some crazy windbreaker on that nobody understood. If she needs a platform she needs to pick something else because every thing she stands for puts her right beside Trump. Maybe she should just stand around in her designer outfits that only the 99% can afford.This doesn't make me feel better, safer, or impressed.
25
I wish Mrs. Trump would read these comments and see how people view her. I enjoyed the comments as much as the article.
10
I like Melania. There's something candid about her and the way she speaks about her situation and husband, and subtly snubs him over issues such as bullying, Lebron, and the separation of children from parents at the border. The silly things she says (the birther conspiracy theory, for example) are the result of exposure to the wrong sources, which are frankly no different from what many Trump supporters also believe. And true, she does occasionally make an attempt to defend her husband, but I've yet to see one that was convincing- to me, her body language seemed to communicate that this was just part of the act she has to play. Sort of like Paris Hilton. And this is not much different from what most spouses do when thrust into the public spotlight. As some commenters have pointed out, she never wanted to be the First Lady and is not obliged to force herself to be something she's not. Lastly- lots of people marry for money, and it's undeniable that financial wealth gives children a headstart in life. That was her decision, she has stuck by it, and it's none of our business.
3
@Xing
It's absolutely our business as she's occupying the White House. She has a job to do, and she's shown herself to be woefully deficient in duty.
23
I can only Wonder how Mrs. Trump feels about life as the First Lady. Surely She Never expected this or signed on for this life when she Married Donald. Part of me feels Sympathy for her and another part does Not. For Donald has been Donald for years he did not change when he ran for Office. This is the same guy she Married back then.
7
I read this, hoping there was more substance to this woman than I had thought. My feeling at the end was ... "whatever". I don't think she is particularly newsworthy, but it would probably have been difficult to fill Michelle Obama's shoes. I hope she is satisfied and comfortable in the life she has chosen with this man that I could not even envision sitting down to dinner with. Saving grace is that her son seems isolated as well from the day-to-day Donald that most of us are familiar with.
10
For all the effort made to understand Mrs Trump, has anyone ever considered that perhaps there is “no there there”? She’s a very pretty woman whose primary role until the election was as arm candy, I think we’re expecting too much, and should leave her be.
22
@Maryellen Simcoe
Maryellen I believe there's no there there. I think she's as unfit for her job as her husband is for his.
25
@Jim
She's a cold, stiff, money-grubbing opportunist who doesn't deserve a bit of sympathy. A perfect example of looks go only so far.
7
Three reporters, no new information. The emptiness of this profile, the sheer vacuity of the content, is not the Times' fault, nor the result of lapses from talented writers. The subject herself is walled off, pardon the expression, as if kept in a tower of her own devising. She is presented as an enigma -- "mysterious" -- when perhaps she's simply unworthy of scrutiny. Were she to hold a press conference and, say, apologize to the Obama family for her unrepentant birther conspiracy stance ("Now that I've lived in this public glare, I understand how humiliated their daughters must've felt when confronted with lies about their father..."), she'd made real news. But photo ops and generic statements through a communications director don't add to her allure; only her content-free life in a fishbowl. Look at how many words were employed here to tell us so little. She's "witty?" Give us a quote. Please. Good enough journalism; uninteresting subject.
23
It must be noted that in addition to white nativism, climate denial and global ignorance- Donald Trump stokes his base with the worst of male chauvinism and vulgarity.
His demand for utter loyalty from all around him- to the exclusion of any different opinions or criticism- does not extend to his relationship with Melania. He has shown the total absence of loyalty to her & their marriage. His multiple affairs and liaisons indicate a vestigial form of misogyny and male privilege...a gender authoritarianism.
Would he allow her a tryst with a stud ?
7
Tell me again why this woman needs a [taxpayer-funded] suite of offices and a staff of ten?
31
@westomoon Exactly!
12
Melania Trump supported her husband’s racist birther nonsense in public.
She lifted a speech from Michele Obama then denied knowledge it was plagiarized.
Ditto for her ridiculously named Be Best platform.
She’s lied about having a college degree.
This is not a sympathetic figure nor should she be a role model for young women Anywhere.
40
Why should she say anything? Since her husband has taken office she has been subject to extraordinary humiliation by him. His lies, betrayals, and disgusting behavior have been brought out and paraded in front of her while the whole nation watches. The only way to maintain one's dignity in such circumstances is to do exactly what she is doing. Stand tall. Say nothing and go your own way. She may well leave him, but I'm sure if she does he will try to punish her for it.
4
The whole thing is just so weird. I just hope she can shelter her son from becoming anything remotely like Trump’s other two sons.
14
I guess mysterious means non-existent in this context. The country's worst president has a first lady to match his incompetence. She's not even American.
19
There seems to be sympathy for the idea that Melania has to put up with her husband.
2
@Alexa
It takes a certain kind of person to stand complicit alongside all Trump's behavior. She's shown, thus far, that she stands for nothing but herself. She has ample opportunity to demonstrate otherwise, but it appears she's unable to unwilling to so do. She's as out-of-her-depth in her role and responsibility as First Lady as are many Trump's cohorts in their roles in this administration.
17
I will never forget how Donald Trump treated Melania after the inauguration when they went to meet the Obamas at the White House. How he did not wait for her as he went into the White House was appalling. You could see how crestfallen she was. He is such a cad. She is married to him and has a young son. Now she is an unpaid, unelected representative of our country, so it is not like she can just leave. She is doing her best to hold her head high while the world sees Donald Trump for what she has always known him to be. How hard it must be to endure that. We need to give her a break.
6
I will never forget Melania on television asking for Pres. Obama's birth certificate. Yes, she's a birther. Whatever she has to currently "endure" is meaningless to me.
39
Melanie is surely not “unpaid”—she is likely being very well compensated for not divorcing Trump. Her prenup must be the only reason she is staying with him. Financial incentive not to leave - or a Financial penalty for doing so.
10
Maybe I would feel positive about her if she hadn’t started out by being dishonest...lying about her education. People are still writing about her brilliant language skills, why? She uses Slovenian interpreters everywhere. In France, she said hello, in Italy it was how are you in the wrong verb tense. She’s been with the Macrons, where’s all the “fluent French?”
I think she’s quiet because she never learned to speak English that well and doesn’t want to be embarrassed. A few times when she has ad libbed she’s made some big errors.
I don’t envy her position, but she hardly makes herself likable by teetering around in stilettos and avoiding people. I remember Michelle in sweats dancing with little kids. I can’t think of any First Lady I haven’t admired, actually.
33
Remember: this presidency is being run as if it were a reality TV show. Melania is a bit player. Starring roles went to others. She can sit in her dressing room and fume all she wants because she is being paid more than others, but make no mistake about it: her role is minimal. Trump - the ringmaster - wants to keep it that way. If she were to start blabbing like Omarosa, it's all over for Trump, Inc.
9
Melania Trump as many others did didn't believe donald would win. When he did, we were told she was sobbing. She didn't want the job, however anachronistic it may seem to be, and so she's not going to do the job, whatever it may entail. He's treated her shabbily, he espouses vile and hateful policies and she's not going to be an enabler. She probably can't wait until she can get back to NY and once again become a lady who lunches and practices Pilates and perhaps even become an unmarried lady.
15
No sympathy for her and this article did nothing to convince me to the contrary. She entered into a marriage contract with a man whose sordid lifestyle and repugnant personality has now tainted her as someone who is covered with the same smell as trump. I hope the money was worth it because long after he is gone Melania will find the smell of the trump still following her.
26
@SFjoe, it's not just money. She got her US citizenship after she'd served for years as Trump's live-in "hostess" (the years of her "Einstein visa"). Her parents also came to the US under Trump's aegis, and got their citizenship lickety-split. Her sister now also has US residency, thanks to Melania's liaison with Trump.
17
Focusing on Trump, or Melania, misses the core issue.
Who elected these people?
They weren't Republicans. They worship at the alter of lower deficits.
Could it be - the Slave State Confederates?
You know, Civil War, Culture War - what's the difference?
4
@UTBG
Virginia voted for Clinton. Michigan, Ohio, Pa., Wisconsin sent trump to the White House.
A Rapunzel of her own making.
15
So marrying for money is worse than marrying for someone's political prospects and the future advantages those may convey?
Hillary sticking with Bill because he was gonna make her President too shows greater moral stature than staying with Trump?
I was and am a supporter of none of these people. They are all equally wretched.
The only great President of my lifetime has been Jimmy Carter and his First Lady remains a fine role model for anyone aspiring to the position. Obama for whom I voted twice-yes-twice? Turned out to be Republican Light and he and his wife are now cashing in royally.
5
Bill and Hillary have always been a team of equals.
16
HRC became Senator if New York, then she was hand picked by President Obama to be Secretary of State, she worked tirelessly and in the end the Russians and The Electoral College handed DJT the presidency. Oh yeah, and she worked very hard as First Lady and was ridiculed for it.
27
Her support of birtherism nonsense, the graffiti jacket, her questionable immigration history, soft porn modeling aside....she’s married to a narcissist. Unless you’ve really experienced that you truly don’t know how INSANE it can make you. Just trying to explain the gaslighting makes YOU sound like the crazy one.
However even if she had to walk away with nothing she could write a block buster tell all. So that’s what confounds me, why she stays. She seems miserable but there must be some really massive secondary gain. And staying with a personality disordered spouse for the sake of children isn’t always the best thing for them.
15
I think the really massive secondary gain you suggest is probably a big cash incentive (likely in a post-nuptial agreement) not to divorce him while in office.
7
The next time you do a profile of this first lady don't forget to detail that she is an established birther on the record. Everyone feeling sorry for her, I have very little sympathy for her current situation.
39
The woman is stuck in the White House in that primate. Not exactly what she had in mind for a life of luxury and not having to actually work for a living.
4
She is the proverbial “trophy wife” who just happened to become the First Lady. Those looking for her to be more than the charm on Trump’s arm will forever be disappointed
16
It is preposterous to criticize anybody who is less than enthusiastic about the First Lady’s behavior. Michelle Obama could barely take a breath without being assaulted by racists. No one is publishing photographs of Melania Trump photoshopped as a primitive African tribesman. How dare Republicans go on the attack with umbrage when the obvious is pointed out about their First Lady? Every day we are given reminders of how despicable an ordinary Republican is, how cruel and cold and self-involved and selfish they are. They defend the indefensible. They attack the helpless and the weak and celebrate themselves for it. And they flaunt their racism. We are a divided country — divided between the civilized and the uncivilized and there is little hope the two shall ever meet. Mrs. Trump is but an emblem of that illness.
28
Money talks. Melania seems so shallow, insincere, and cruel with her infamous jacket. She doesn't care, but I do and I'm voting in Nov. to hopefully restore class back to the white house. I really miss Ms. Obama! Now that was a first lady. She has brains, ambition. and class.
37
This woman, proclaimed by many to be mysterious, is known by her deeds. She was a birther, plagerized Michelle Obama’s speech and initially claimed she wrote it herself, publicly excused the taped Access Hollywood “grabbing women by the genitals” comments by her husband as “boys will be boys” harmless talk, and lied about her education - for starters. I fail to understand why some seek depth in her. I don’t care what she meant by that jacket. This is what I do know: she married Trump. What normal person does that?
38
@Alex -- The nude modeling is pretty uncomfortable-making too. Especially when you can see it for yourself on line.
Some of us also remember how outraged the right-wing noise machine used to get over Michelle Obama wearing sleeveless dresses...
10
Donald Trump has been a total bully to people who are not financially well-connected, politically powerful, and physically challenged. All of this is very repugnant to the behavior of a chief executive whose tasks include uniting people. Let me digress to the last of the three groups: physical challenges. Readers might recall vividly how Donald Trump mimicked and savagely ridiculed journalist Serge Kovaleski in 2016. This has a bearing directly Melania Trump and her campaign to stop bullying of individuals.
The obvious hypocrisy, Melania Trump married to the worst bully & narcissists. If Donald Trump mocks other peoples' afflictions, it seems fair he & Melania ought to address son, Barron. Barron Trump is kept in shadows and total obscurity. Consider Barrack and Michelle Obama asked media to be fair with their two daughters, only to have Michael Pecker's rag (The Enquirer) and sporadic FOX News broadcasts take swipes at the First Family's daughters. A fair question: does Barron Trump suffer learning disabilities.
Barron Trump attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, a middle school with a "Learning Disabilities" (LD) track. Trump Foundation records show Foundation paid Columbia Grammar $50,000/yr - coincidence given LD tuition runs $44,000/yr. (??) St. Andrews Episcopal offers LD tracks. I find it ever so strange how Donald Trump will bully others and refuse to speak to personal issues.
16
@Peter Vander Arend
Barron is a child with special needs, beyond learning disabilities. Trust me.
8
This is going too far. I detest Donald Trump, but it is despicable act like him and attack Melania and their 12 year old son. The public doesn’t need to know about Barron’s school track. Period.
5
@Nowhere Girl
All past presidents’ children, even younger than Barron, were seen with their parents and their lives were much more publicly known. Trump went on the campaign talking about vaccines causing autism. It was a puzzling issue from this older man but he harped on it a lot. The reality of who Barron Trump is will one day be revealed. They cannot hide him away forever .
1
Modeled nude while claiming she was here legally. Then met the biggest grifter/ conman on earth. Had an affair while he was married to his second wife. Married him for his money. Was elevated to First Lady due to Russian election interference. Has done nothing to benefit any American while in this role, instead has continued grifting with her husband. Anyone else embarrassed? Because as an American, I sure am.
39
She's not mysterious, she married a man who could provide the lifestyle she wanted. She married an ogre who cheats on his wives, including her. She could divorce him, but she stays. We are stuck with him, but I'd say she got what she deserves. And since she's living in the people's house, is it too much to ask for her to at least look interested in her country? Is this "Be Best"?
And until she apologizes for being a birther, she will never be an honorable first lady. Shame on them all.
31
Come On.
Melania Trump has her folks getting citizenship and guards, has a sister apparently living in NYC- also a citizen? Was admitted to the USA on a "genius visa" herself and married money.
Face it- her work here is done.
22
Trump abuses her like he has abused us/the US.
6
There is absolutely no mystery to Melania.
14
Non entity! She may as well be a visitor from another planet.
10
Sorry, I don't agree with any of you that think Melania is some sort of silent saint.
The fact is that she has done nothing but support her husband's bigoted and racist policies, and I can't imagine what she thinks about his sexual escapades.
That last bit doesn't matter, I guess, but the first bit makes her complicit in the actions of Donald. I cannot respect that in any way.
15
Melania and djt are birds of a feather. Enough said.
12
DT HAS HUMILIATED HER over and over for years. Video seems to show that he pays little attention to her son. For goodness sake, and for the sake of your child, get him away from that crooked, malevolent, sick environment! Hustle him away in the middle of the night to Trump Tower in NY. CHANGE ALL THE LOCKS. If you must, take him back to Slovakia if you’d feel safer. But leave soon, for your and your son’s sake.
8
Mrs. Trump just like Donald Trump are nothing Burgers. Do you really believe they believe in anything.
8
Independent woman? Don’t think so. She is still married to her sugar daddy. Oh that she is reserved and quiet? Probably she has signed multiple NDA’s to keep her life style. IMO, she is complicit and have no self respect. She doesn’t say much because I suspect she is shallow. When she has tried, she has copied it. She is embarrassing.
23
She's not mysterious, she's a lame duck that is completely missing in action. The job of the first lady is not just to serve as a role model but to take action. Michelle took on school lunches and Laura advocated for education reform. Melina keeps out of sight with the exception of flogging inflammatory messages on delicate issues such as she did with her jacket stunt leaving nothing but disgrace in her wake. If she is America's mom then she has ignored her children and then kicked them when they needed her most. Melina is not mysterious, as much as we want to stereotype beautiful foreign woman as such, she is just plain rotten, just as shameless as her lame husband, who in similar fashion, is in it to serve no one but them selves.
20
if she was a fashion model, then why aren't there any fashion shots?
23
This lady sold her soul when she got involved with Trump and deep down inside she knows it! Yes she knew the type of man he probably was when she marrie him, but she didn't know the type of man he would become as US president. Trapped in gilded cage is an appt expression, more like a gilded prison.
4
She is not a role model for America's daughters.
17
Melania is soooo far out of her league, intellectually speaking. She’s a vapid dress holder at best. Expect nothing from her besides wearing clothes. There isn’t an original idea in her. That being said, kudos for giving the impression of being a concerned mother. If I was her my main goal would to keep my child as far away from dad as possible. For that, I give her credit.
11
I guess when one does nothing, one is doing things the way she wants to do them.
She is totally out of her element and deserves the price she is paying choosing to marry the Potantate of Hate.
7
Would be interesting to hear Melania's thoughts on marital fidelity.
8
Thoughts? I think you’re giving her too much credit.
10
I am relieved to know she is not being compared to Eleanor Roosevelt and Jacqueline Kennedy. Place Melania Trump between Mamie Eisenhower and Pat Nixon.
6
There is nothing mysterious about the First Lady. She's as transparent as her husband.
11
To say the jacket carried no message is literally absurd.
16
Amazing the comments in defense of Mrs. Trump! The woman choose to marry a serial adulterer, a liar and cheat. How can anyone pity such a person? She is not someone I respect, in fact, I would respect her if she were to divorce her “husband” the marriage is a farce!
Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bush, etc., were women who were accomplished in their own right. They brought to the White House a sense of dignity and inner strength.
To those complaining that Melania is being treated unjustly, I remind you that Michelle Obama’s husband was burnt in effigy, that the Obama’s had countless threats on their lives!
When it comes to Mrs. Trump, we are all speaking truth, she is but another of Donald’s props being used to sell his brand. Sad.
23
‘A Mysterious First Lady...’ ? I don’t know.... it seems Melania Trump is pretty much an opportunist who hit the big time and isn’t weathering anything except expensive shopping sprees and high end health insurance. The fact that her man is Donald Trump is just the price she’s paying for all of her advantages.
15
One friend of the Trumps in Palm Beach, Fla., said Mrs. Trump entered the relationship with Mr. Trump with her eyes open,..."
THIS is why I have no respect or pity for her. She knew what type of person Donnie is... WE ALL DID FOR YEARS. Sure, when she married him, she didn't expect to become First Lady... but that's besides the point. She married a horrible human being who had a lot of money.
17
Melania Trump doesn't deserve any sympathy because she knew what Trump was like when she married him. She is as much a user as he is; she married him for money, status and a luxurious life style;not to mention bringing her whole family to the US for a better life. don't feel sorry for her one bit.
20
I really don’t care, do you? She’d like to have her cake and eat it too. She is just as bad as anyone else in that White House. And pretending anything else is just deluded.
And yes, the role of the First Lady needs to get a new update. It will probably change with the First Mister, or what ever it will be called. If the current occupant doesn’t completely tear this country to the ground. The one thing I know, after this we will all know what an untreated personality disorder looks like. That man needs decades of help.
15
"Mysterious" ? No.
Vapid and ineffectual. Yes
20
The big elephant in the room is they sleep in separate rooms and even while traveling have separate suites. Doesn't that say it all? How can anyone then make claims that this is a real marriage with a supportive spouse on either side. It appears to be staged, no? And to spend entire articles trying to dissect the FLOTUS and who she is is a farce of it's own. "Who is the real Melania Trump? The reason nobody knows is that she's nothing that she's staged to be. It's all orchestrated to fit a role. There is no meat to this bone.
20
Is it intended to be a revelation that The First Lady keeps Washington at a distance? Wouldn’t you if you were her?
2
It's not too complicated: She married him for his money. He married her for her looks. They led mostly separate lives except when she fulfilled her contract by appearing in public with him parroting his views. She never wanted to be first lady, but her husband clearly disrespects her and didn't care. So, she's a reluctant first lady, flaccidly performing her duties while passively proclaiming that she really doesn't care, do you?
7
I do wonder what she does all day though. Those are loooooooog Pilates classes I bet. And poor Baron. What does he do all day in Bedminster? Or Mar a Lago? They seem ghoulish to me. A loveless marriage for the sake of a kid that Donald ignores. Those other 3 were children were always paraded around as are Ivankas Instagram children. She has chosen her path, I can’t feel sorry for her.
8
Sometimes a hollow, lazy, gold digger is just that, a hollow, lazy, gold digger. She was very proud to nab Trump; she saw being his kept woman as a major ‘accomplishment’ - and for years, did precious little but grin like the cat that got the milk, as she pouted, squinted and preened about complete with surgical upgrades and designer duds.
The endless attempts at revisionism and giving her the benefit of the doubt is amusing|. The statute of limitations on laziness and vapidity should’ve expired ages ago.
One minute she’s touted as |savvy, independent, high-flying socialite who after years as wife to a wealthy narcissistic showboat, has done and seen it all, and is well-versed and comfortable around red carpets, entertaining, organizing, throwing and hostessing parties and events.
We are told she’s used to supervising and overseeing staff, because she’s married to a rich man and is used to doing so. But in the next breath, we’re told to give her a break because it’s all new to her, and she’s a “private” person. She’s not private nor is she a victim. Never was.
And she’s not “beautiful”, or “graceful”. She’s a basic plagiarized store catalog version of what she and her “glam” team think “classy and elegant” means.
And just like the empty photo-ops, the gaslighting is getting old.
22
@Olivier Excellent insight with special note to your comment: Sometimes a hollow, lazy, gold digger is just that, a hollow, lazy, gold digger.
6
As a person who works with special needs children, I can’t help but thinking how many one-on-one aides our schools could have hired with the $140,000 per day that it cost us taxpayers to keep her and Baron safely ensconced in their good-plated penthouse at Trump Towers. All so *her* special little darling wouldn’t have to change schools in the middle of the school year (something that I know all about as a military spouse).
18
Just a thought, why does Trump marry eastern European women (2)? It could be a starting point for a thriller novel that would include Russian spies...
14
They'll get divorced in 2021, guaranteed.
7
Geez, I guess this couple represents the state of the people who voted him in....Always good to remember that the USA was once a British Colony and corruption in the former colonies are still rampant as can be seen globally. Virtuous and Moral Leadership is at issue everywhere or so it appears...
In a better, new and woke era for women, it is so regrettable that someone who could serve as a role model for women - in so many ways - has squandered the opportunity. Instead, Melania has demonstrated a lack of leadership, strength, purpose and mission. What was old is new again at The White House: a Stepford Wife, alas.
14
Her sister!? In New York!? Another chain migrant!?
18
Mrs. Trump is a very attractive woman. She used her looks to get a rich husband. Nothing unusual or mysterious about that. She will get what she can- outrageously expensive clothes, luxurious life style and favors for family( citizenship,for mom and dad). She does a little here and there and very likely gets a kick out of making her old and awkward husband look foolish when she can. Ride it out she will and she can look forward to many years of splendid widowhood with lots of money and no Donald. Marrying a much older guy has its pluses. Again nothing unusual or mysterious.
5
Melania’s primary focus is first how she looks, everything is after that except Barron. Her confidence is rooted in her looks, everything from her starts and ends with her appearance, contrast that with equally beautiful Michelle Obama. Melania used her looks to marry for money. It worked. Now as first lady she has to be more than a show case. Her one out there moment was the jacket message, which most of us found offensive and wierd. It failed publicly completely, but maybe worked privately with her husband. Now she could grab the reigns and really tackle a number of issues but she doesnt have it in her. Its just not who she is. She was more interested in the decor of the christmas white house than helping migrant children or her chosen issue.
SAD! No I am not feeling sorry for her. She needs to get a grip!
11
If I were married to this hyperactive man, I'd insist on separate bedrooms too. Who knows and who cares what Melania Trump is like or represents? She has a role to perform, and she usually does it elegantly. Other than that, she's allowed to be excessively private and unsocial.
2
It's tough when you are an introvert to be in such a public role. She's married to DJT, that is punishment enough.
2 of the most miserable people I've ever seen in or out of public office. They deserve each other. Maybe she's reading these comments.
11
Doubt it. She doesn’t strike me as somebody who reads.
10
Theirs appears to be a loveless marriage; Trump wanted eye-candy and Melania wanted security and riches. It is reprehensible that she has never worn an outfit more than once whiie the huge sums of money spent on these 'rags' could pay for health care for many. No wonder we don't hear from her - all her time is spent selecting new clothes. Compare her with either of the Bush wives or Hillary, who had brains and used them.
Yes, she knew what she was getting into when she married Trump, and based on the miserable look on her face most times she's seen, she's paying for it every day.
6
I’m sorry compared to Michelle Obama. This is NOT a First Lady. I don’t care what her arrangement is with Trump she’s involved with the country. I am so embarrassed by the both of them - the shame it has brought our country.
18
I don’t care for Melania at all, given such things as her vocal support of Trump’s crazy racist birther claims, and her silent complicity in her husband’s numerous instances of misogyny, racism, and telling outrageous lies.
But I will not fault her for not embracing the traditional role of First Lady. Those ten East Wing staffers quoted in the article? They all get paid a salary. Melania makes not a penny. Some might argue that she doesn’t need the money, but that’s hardly the point.
The “First Lady” is an antiquated concept dating back to a time when women could not vote, much less expect equal pay for equal work. We have suffrage now, but still not equal pay. So she planned one state dinner and has given lip service only to her (oh so ironic) “signature” issue. That is more than the American people, or the president, have the right to expect.
I think all first spouses should have the option when coming to the White House of remaining in their current position or taking on a paid position running the East Wing. But at this moment? For all I care, Melania can continue ordering up healthier options for her gluttonous husband, taking care of their son and their residence, and squeezing in Pilates classes between trips to NY. It’s what she did before, and besides she’s earned it.
2
"Her priorities remain her family, her personal health and her role as first lady."
......
Does she care about the fact that many immigrants also care about their families and no longer know where their children are?
Does she care about the fact that millions of people, and many with children, have no health insurance?
If she cares about her role as first lady, she is doing next to nothing. Be Best sounds good on paper but it is doing nothing to help anyone. Her husband is certainly no one that children can listen to.
I see a plastic person who doesn't delve into things very deeply. Her job mainly consists of standing tall and looking as good as possible, doing her job as a trophy wife.
12
Can anyone imagine a piece like this written about any previous First Lady, an article designed to convince us that the wife of the President is up to the task, that she has normal relationships with her husband, family members, and friends? I never had to be reassured about Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalyn Carter, Betty Ford, Pat Nixon, Lady Bird Johnson, or Jackie Kennedy.
20
If Howard Dean became president back in 2004, his wife, who is a doctor, would have revolutionized the role of First Lady; she would have continued her professional path as a doctor.
As far as I know, all First Ladies dropped their career to fulfill the role of First Lady.
Melania’s a model. As far as I know, she is sticking to that profession instead of dropping it.
If you were to compare the income all First Lady’s have made before they became one, Melania has probably independently earned the most money by being very good at what she does.
I still don’t get the whole jacket-gate incident and why she did that. The jacket on its own without context was a fun, punk jacket that any aging punk rocker can appreciate.
At the time, I was so beside myself and upset by learning that beautiful children were being separated from their parents. It angered me that she can afford to be so reckless.
She would benefit from being more mindful of the spotlight she currently finds herself in.
6
“To conservative supporters of the president...”
Perhaps the Times could kindly explain what makes right-wing, radical authoritarians “conservative.“ Is it a minor matter to preserve the English language? Without language, what do we have? The president’s supporters are not conservative; they wish to destroy, not to conserve. Democrats are conservatives and liberals. They want to conserve the fundamental values of democracy and embrace the liberalism of a state that cares about its people. This corruption of the English language by the mass media needs to stop. There is nothing conservative about the modern Republican Party and nothing conservative about those who voted for and support a demagogue. What kind of courage would it take for the New York Times to lead the way in reclaiming the integrity of language? Rather a lot of it, one would think, but isn’t it about time?
14
Please stop making it seem she’s doing something useful. Read some of these comments: “she’s classy, elegant”. That’s all that matters at this point for Trump supporters.
9
Some might think she is a victim. There are certain expectations of the First Lady and Melania is failing like Donald Trump is failing as you know what. She is not a victim. She has chosen to marry Donald Trump and live in luxury, which she is doing well. I doubt she is living well as a respectable human being.
9
Melania Trump is not, as characterized in this piece, a "senior administration official". She is a private individual -- in all senses of the word.
5
To my knowledge, every first lady from Jacqueline Kennedy was
- American and US born/raised, fluent in English
- Educated in the US to university level
- able to experience political life as her husband rose through the ranks to become POTUS
- in a mutually and publicly supportive and respectful relationship with her husband, be it based on love, political expediency or both.
Mrs Trump appears to have none of these advantages while also being married to the most unpopular and divisive President of modern times. Her task is harder than her predecessors.
Her low profile may not be what is expected of First Ladies but under the circumstances is probably the wisest course of action. Whatever she does will be viewed through the prism of her polarising husband's behaviour making it even more difficult to establish her own identity as first lady. If she isn't even allowed to have free rein over the furnishings then she's unlikely to be able make much of a mark in the role.
Perhaps as an outsider I see things differently, but she's handled the role more successfully than I thought she would. She's kept out of the limelight and off social media as much as she can, and has shown up to the big events and has acquitted herself more creditably with foreign dignitaries than her husband.
Con: she's not as engaged as previous First Ladies. Pro: she at least acknowledges that and has a proportionately smaller personal staff.
She's doing OK given the circumstances.
1
@katy890: Not all of the First Ladies were college-educated. Rosalynn Carter and Betty Ford did not obtain college degrees. The former could not afford it and stayed home to help out her mother. The latter studied dance with Martha Graham and eventually worked as a department store model. Barbara Bush dropped out of Smith College in order to marry George. The remainder, as you wrote, either had two undergraduate degrees (Lady Bird Johnson), Laura Bush has a MSLS, and Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. Obama are both lawyers, Yale and Harvard, respectively.
5
First Lady is not what she signed up for. She used her looks to land a rich guy and she landed on Trump. She’s stuck around because of the cash.
4
I can't believe that there are people who defend Melania just because she is pretty, dresses well, stays mostly in the background, or because she has not chosen to be First Wife. We just don't know the woman . We can only have an opinion of her from what we see in public. And it is not a very flattering picture, especially with all those conflicting messages that she has been coming up with lately. She was smitten by the wealth and lifestyle of the man she chose to marry. Her appearances before moving into the White House, were, when not questioning Obama's citizenship on TV, consisting mostly of shots of her on the cover of magazines pretending to eat jewelry, displaying her wealth at Trump Tower, or attending never ending Mar-a-Lago and New York parties. How can she be compared favorably to the countless unsung women with less privileged background who achieve a great deal in their lives whether for their families or for society as a whole?
14
I find so very little of interest in this slovenian social climber.
16
Melania controls any photos of her traveling separately from her husband. When she wore a jacket with "I don't care.." and allowed photos of her wearing it arriving and leaving, I take her at her word. She told the American people she doesn't care. Everything emanating from this WH gives the same message: We care only about how we, the Trumps, benefit. I take her at her word as a Trump.
17
Perhaps she doesn't want to invest herself in what she imagines will be a short chapter in her life.
3
I read these comments calling Mrs Trump “gorgeous, classy; not an attention-seeker.” She maybe gorgeous and eschew attention, but, please. She’s as classy as anyone who has been bought and paid for. I hope she’s getting every penny that’s due her, she’s paid for it with a lack of integrity that takes the breath away.
13
Is she aware that her husband, Donald, is autocrat with affinity to dictators? She may not, since she grew up in Slovenia once a Soviet bloc. Given the Republican controlled Congress is spineless to push back and call him out, you would think that Melania would take the slack. Not sadly. Where is her independent thinking and reported smartness? She could break the stereotyped First Lady if she wants to. At 48 years old, she could take the opportunity. Unless she is also against the so called fake news and the so called enemy of the people per her husband's dictum, she is another autocrat with the blessings from Donald.
3
@Uly Yugoslavia was once a Soviet bloc???!!! But when Bill Clinton bombed illegally Yugoslavia without UN permission, you didn't dare to confuse it with Soviet bloc, right? I hope you know that people in the regions of former Yugoslavia are still dying of cancer due to Clinton's illegal bombings.
1
Mysterious? The subject of this article actively participated in "birther" conspiracy theories. Most recently, she sported an "I don't really care, do you?" statement while visiting illegally separated and detained children, all while awaiting approval of her parents' citizenship. She has consistently shown herself to be a complicit, willing participant in the atrocities carried out by this administration. The only mystery is why the authors of this article have sought to humanize her very inhumane behavior.
15
Mrs. Trump told the American public she doesn't care about us.
She work if all over her back and invited photopgraphers to show it to all of us so that we know she doesn't care about us.
Her supporters explain that!
IMO: it's not the moment for the First Lady to tell the American public she doesn't care. Especially when her parents were just made citizens while many other immigrants are separated from their families.
So you know what? If Melania Trump wantsrespect, let her earn it and stop spitting in our faces.
11
Regarding the Trumps as a "presidential family," and the details of Mrs. Trump's transition to Presidential lifestyle, etc. etc.
In their own words:
"I don't really care, do u?"
11
Sorry to read that she is pushing the kitchen to make healthy meals. It would be best to have fried chicken on the menu every day.
14
Mrs. Trump knew what she was getting into when she married her husband. It’s obvious she is not happy. This should have been expected when marrying an awful person who is rich and powerful. She’s struck but it’s really hard to feel sorry for her. There are women in way worse situations who have no way out. Melania has choices.
5
At the end of the day, and the soon end to this Admin, I dont care what she does or doesnt do. But what an opportunity. Wow!
Melania could do more for people, on a personal level then her husband ever could.
She's free to do or not do. To pitch "Be Best!", and be mediocre. Whatever.
But I do await her AutoBio, post this short term, and the inevitable divorce. That's gonna be some read...(I hope thats when the Be Best kicks in...)
6
Did she not just last year win a large settlement from the UK newspaper The Daily Mail for slandering her ?
A part of this report that was left out.
5
@Carlyle T. -- Ah yes, her lawsuit. Her case was that, by calling her an "escort," the Mail had ruined her chances of cashing in big on being First Lady.
Here's wikipedia on the lawsuit: The lawsuit stated the article had ruined her "unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to establish "multimillion dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world”.
That's the part you left out, too.
7
Little respect for people willing to work for Trump, much less a woman that agrees to be married to him. Ugh!
12
Weathered a chaotic White House?
I am sure she has weathered a lot most of her marriage, White House or not.
4
Be Best is successful and will continue to be successful. Proof that when you set your standards low anything looks like success.
6
I heard she demands payment of between $150,000 and $400,000 for each public appearance engineered by potus staff. Explains better the nature, frequency and scope of her appearances than all the newsprint waded on speculations
4
I have three amazing young daughters - ranging in age from 13 to 24. Melania Trump is a perfect example for them of how NOT to conduct their adult lives.
20
"She has faced constant questions from critics who want to know why — or how — she can remain with Mr. Trump."
One word: M o n e y... as it has been...
“This should be celebrated, not criticized. Her priorities remain her family, her personal health and her role as first lady.”
Well, as her role as a first lady I can say that she is missing out on a great and only opportunity to really do something where she could leave a mark of her own. It's a shame and it's sad.
5
Melania has strayed from being the traditional First Lady. Fine. Uninspiring but O.K. What concerning is the complete change in her usual public persona, from her other public appearances, at the her first overseas state dinner. Melania Trump and PUTIN were widely shown on T.V. talking together very, very, animated, just the two of them without DJT or any other American around.
7
So we're to understand "I really don't care, do U?" was intended to reprimand her husband and his associates?
Sorry, not buying it. If Melania wants to send a clear message that she retains independence and a conscience, she needs to walk to the nearest reporter and unload. Even risking her own immigration status. Because that's what you do if you are brave and principled in the face of an administration that is robbing the nation, imprisoning children, and destroying our safety and security.
20
Given the magnitude of the chaos and confusion in the White House keeping the East Wing free from the West Wing pollution will be perhaps a full time preoccupation for poor first lady Melania leaving little time for other pursuits.
1
I want to like Melania - she is after all, married to that man and for that reason alone, I am sorry for her. However, I cannot muster up all this sympathy that seems to be pervasive. She was not a child when she met him. She knew he was married. She also knew that he was rich. She made a conscious decision to snare him - and she did. Now that's been said, I also have to say that I cannot forget the nude pictures I saw of her. This is not modeling - this is porn and the fact that she would stoop to this, makes her unworthy of being the First Lady. Also, the lying about her education and this speaking five languages thing makes me uncomfortable. But other than all that, she's OK.
11
The wife is ashamed of Trump, the president. Who can blame her. She may even feel shame for herself by accepting her position in life with a man who thinks little of women in general including her.
9
After reading so many of the comments below, I think a woman in the President’s chair is long, long overdue.
16
She knows that The Don can cancel her citizenship, take her son away, and boot her out of the country for working while on a tourist visa and lying about it during the process.
Which is the very deal she made with the devil.
10
Well, it's noteworthy that the only Trump offspring who appears to be an extremely nice child is Barron. A Trump child who, even more noteworthy, seems pained and embarrassed by his father in the brief public glimpses we get.
Sometimes--and I write from personal experience--a loathsome marital partner can be the instrument of enabling one to have an immeasurable treasure. I think, yes, Melania got something she wanted very much from this marriage and the price has been worth it to her.
@SCA
Your comment is the perfect example of projection. We have no idea who Barron is, and we have no idea what Melania wants or how she feels about it.
Americans got Trump because many voters projected "caring" and competence on to that man. Until we learn to quit seeing virtue because we hope for it, or evil because that's what we want (as many Americans did with Hillary) we are going to be fooled by our own gossamer fantasies. Barron may be swell -- but we can't possibly know.
19
@SCA
You are completely wrong in your assessment of Barron. I will leave it at that. Melania sues people when they speak the truth about him.
3
@Sharon Salzberg: So internet rumors and speculations about a child are "truth" now?
I’m afraid I’ve fallen into the “surely she is trapped” camp. But only because I cannot possibly fathom what anybody who seems normal could possibly like about him and her body language clearly says “don’t touch me”, but then most people married to a malignant narcissists have the same body language. Trump even does the pointing “look what I’ve got” thing in photo shoots. But it’s not like his basic personal behaviour has changed since becoming potus- it’s just public knowledge now.
I’d imagine she’d leave him after the presidency, if only because he will cope so very badly without the constant attention the role brings. He’d be even more of a nightmare and even more desperate for his bases positive (to him) attention and will do anything for it - even if it’s only bad attention from the world at large. He’d be even more of a nightmare to have close by. And even angrier than he is now. That would be difficult for anyone to live with.
I do admire her stoicism though- she could be a member of the British upper middle class with that emotional - less attitude. I find her the only reassuring member of the entire family- and that’s only because she doesn’t show her emotions
42
A truly beautiful and caring First Lady. No wonder the Lefitst media has difficulties with the First Lady.
3
@Peter I Berman
Actually we have difficulties with her Husband.
6
@Peter I Berman Don't be silly. What does she care about? Why is it important that she's beautiful? Other than that's the only reason she is where she is.
Your so called "leftist" media has no problem with her. They've been courteous and respectful. Only brief mentions of the depth of pity people have for this woman who has to spend time with DJT, the most loathsome, repulsive man alive.
4
@Peter I Berman:
Reality Check: "I Really Don't Care Do U" and birther.
This was self chosen behavior, not the press giving this person a hard time.
5
I believe Melania Trump is doing the best she can under very difficult circumstances. She married a flawed man but she expected to have a private life which he chose to utterly change by running for president.
She is a reserved private person thrust into a limelight she never wanted and has dedicated her time to the welfare of her son. The "Be Best"initiative is something she became involved in because there were expectations that she had to do some kind of public work as First Lady. It has to be difficult to follow the accomplished and vibrant Michelle Obama and she has done the best she can.
3
She is a wonderful distraction.
Trying to gently "right" her husband's "wrongs" without offending him is a delicate balance.
Beauty and the beast.
1
Great to know that privately she acknowledges she and Trump like each other.
1
She's the MSG that seasons the stir-fried Trump. Makes the dish a bit more palatable and savory but a lot of people get hot flashes and headaches afterwards.
5
There is nothing mysterious about her. That "I don't really care" jacket was her signature statement. She is with Trump for the money and the fame. She supports him in every vile act he commits. She is one with him. I think we should accept that and stop trying to over-analyze a very, very, very shallow person.
17
I have an inkling that if Melania could gouge his eyes out, she'd do it in a heartbeat. The one issue that confounds me about her -- and every woman who dates a married man -- is why on earth she/ they believe they're "the one," and once married to them, his roving eye and roaming days are over. He will always be an unfaithful husband, as predictably as he will always lie. He doesn't know how to be faithful or truthful, nor does it interest him to reflect for a nano-second about how he behaves every day of his life. He's the ultimate self-absorbed, mean-spirited, irascible, foul-tempered, petulant, retributive, adolescent hedonist, impeded by, sensitive to, and caring for no one but Donald J. Trump. What a guy.
8
Comments here are interesting and a bit confusing to a non-American.
We do not have a 'first lady' in Canada. IF we did, it would be the Queen. The unelected Mrs Trudeau appears to be a nice support to her husband, but like other spouses of prime ministers in Commonwealth countries, most of us know precious little about them. I have no idea who Theresa May's husband is in the UK. I mean who cares two monkey's?
Jacqueline Kennedy once said that her favourite 'First Lady' was Bess Truman, a seemingly pleasant woman who appeared happy, quietly raising her daughter out of the spot light. If women today can be/do anything they want, why are Mrs Trump's choices in life anyone's business? Or to be criticized? Choice. Isn't that what feminism is all about or am I missing something?
42
@MKS:
If you are confused then imagine the Americans who watched the First Lady in her I Don't Care coat while showing up in South Texas, her self-selected Be Better campaign while passively twiddling her designer nails and doing nothing, and getting citizenship for her own East Bloc folks while her husband separates kids and parents and hates "chain immigration" for everyone else, apparently.
We got used to words meaning stuff.
So yeah, feminism is "Choice" not "Lying to the American People". Big diff.
14
@MKS I would have no problem if she said she would stay out of the limelight and not have initiatives as her predecessors have. But, she hasn't done that. She lost me 100% when she wore the I Don't Care jacket on a trip about children in cages. That's what you are missing. She made that trip about her and how the press is a bother to her.
9
Yep, and we don't really understand the concept of a Governor General representing the Queen of England in Canada. Seems odd. But hey, to each his own. Cheers.
2
Having Donald and Melanie in the White House has created a cultural void. There is no celebration of the arts, nothing to enrich our lives from their elevated platform. Instead every day we are fed crude one liners and tasteless pronouncements. Former First Ladies proved that you can look fashionably elegant and still be influential as the president's partner in very substantial ways.
40
Probably a very lonely woman, tied to a man who cares only about himself. I certainly don’t envy her or the decisions she has to make in the coming years. It would be interesting to read her pre-nuptial agreement - I think “the Donald” will have had a team of lawyers work on that one.
8
Whether you like Donald Trump or not, it is safe to say that everyone is fascinated by him. His comments, twitter rants, and even actions seem to defy the typical behavior of how a president should act. However, in my opinion, Donald Trump is not the most eccentric person in the office, it is his wife, Melania. This article highlights the difference between former ladies in the past and Melania Trump. I remember Michelle Obama being very outspoken and involved in the media. Every day there would be commercials interrupting my cartoons telling me to "get up and move." When I think about Melania, the first thing that comes to mind is her speech where she copies Michelle Obama. There's nothing substantial about her nothing that defines her as a first lady. She's the complete opposite of Donald Trump, and that's what makes her so interesting as a person. Donald Trump is outspoken and voices his opinion, however, Melania is quiet and stays out of the picture. Sometimes actions do speak louder than words and in Melania's case, there is no action.
7
As a man; I do not have strong views on Melania one way or another. In one sense she is trapped in a role she never bargained for when she became the 3rd Mrs. Trump. On the other hand; she should have taken in consideration what the track record of her future husband before marrying him. It absolutely baffles me that in order to get Trump to say "I Do" she ; like everyone else in the Trump Universe basically has to sign away any sense of being free to even speak her mind. This can only be looked on in an objective way as being willing to play the obedient wife in an age of strong women being equal in every sense. So something hear just does not add up. I believe Melania is a smart woman. Yet her silence has to be seen as being compliant with the Trump no matter how humiliating that has been. Either she is counting the days until she can divorce Trump the day after he is no longer President; or it just does not matter to her what he does; no matter how humiliating. I suspect it is the former.
22
IT appears that this First Lady is as busy dealing with such a self-directed, busy President as anyone outside their orbit. When you realize that he is in his seventies and has always been ''The Boss'' around anyone he sees very often, this makes perfect sense.
The people around other driven business people react and deal with them exactly as Melania does. While I don't see much sympathy in this story, it is remarkably free of the progresssive coatal news media's usual way of presenting Pres. Trump and those around him.
If only there were some predictable way to shield her & Barron from the frantic antics of the media types who have sworn to destroy the President in any way possible.
OBTW, have you seen the recent scowling pic of Maxine Waters flitting across the conservative media lately? I'm sure Jim Acosta would find it inspirational.
2
For his third wife a rich 70-something year-old wanted a ‘trophy’. For the right perks a forty-something year-old was willing to be that trophy. That’s not so difficult to understand. He was in the market to buy, she was in the market to sell, so the only question was the price.
36
It's not all that complicated. She's out of her league. Same thing happened when Jessie Ventura shockingly won the governorship in Minnesota. His wife quickly moved out of the Govenors mansion to continue raising horses. What really IS sad is the lost opportunity to really make a difference in people's lives, even if it is just eating more veggies. Any public service initiative would suffice. Somehow anti-bullying doesn't seem appropriate.
11
Some of the comments I've just read frankly puzzle me. Some appear to be excuses for defending the public behavior of the quite inexcusable Mr. Trump. I'm unaware of any deluges of invective directed at Mrs. Trump; I believe, however, that the "I Really Don't Care, Do You?" incident is wide open for honest speculation about its intent, given its context--Mr. Trump's persistently snarky attitude towards his perceived opponents and his inability to accept responsibility for any action of his that miscarries (and they are legion). As for Mrs. Trump, I have no more idea of her intentions than the authors of the story, but I have no reason to think them objectionable or pernicious. I find myself wondering how she got herself into this fix and why she remains there. Is there some sort of nondisclosure agreement? . . .
3
As a woman and a human being, I am shocked at Melania's refusal to make any intelligent and thoughtful comment about what she believes and who she is. People argue whether or not this should be expected 'just' because she is the first lady. In my mind, it definitely should be expected because she is a human being and she is married to someone tremendously powerful (no matter how much we hate that fact). Being a model is a job and a superficial one at that. We can expect her to be also a person too with ideas and a personality and not just play the model role. I'm still waiting.
27
I’d like to read the pre-nup “the Donald” prepared for her.
4
“She is a woman of grit, never afraid to speak her mind”
If the above statement is true, then the First Lady can’t possibly have very much on her mind.
It’s a fair enough point to make that Melania Trump may not have been an active participant in whatever potential criminal schemes that her husband may have been involved with. Regardless, she does appear to have individual agency, and to not hold her accountable for her choices is exactly as sexist as it would be if she were treated as though she lacked the ability to make choices at all.
A person can either stand for something, or stand for nothing. “Be Best” is a phrase which means absolutely nothing, and it is painfully indicative of everything that Melania Trump seems to represent: an empty shell.
39
Interesting how many people who seem to feel that Melania doesn't merit our interest take the time to read an article like this and then vent their feelings. No matter which side you butter this subject on, the role or perhaps in this case non-role of First Lady does engage us -- especially as we recall so many others who were almost constantly in the public eye and supporting various issues. I guess we'll continue to wonder about her!
1
@Dot
I don’t wonder about her at all. She is as inappropriate a First a lady as her husband is a president.
4
After the "jacket" she chose and wore, there isn't much more to say.
But there is a lot more to say about chain migration and her parents.
49
Re: "Be Best": “It is exactly what she wants it to be, and has been a success,” Ms. Grisham said. “We look forward to continued success in her mission of helping children.”
HOW has it been a success? She hasn't even participated in a dedicated “Be Best” event!
34
The first lady reportedly got a green card through a program specifically for people with "extraordinary ability,” known as the elite EB-1 program or the “Einstein visa.” She became a U.S. citizen in 2006.
The program is reserved for people such as academic researchers and multinational business executives, in addition to those with sustained national and international acclaim, The Washington Post reported in March. Trump must have paid someone off for this Visa since I don't see any extraordinary ability in Melania.
48
@Jacquie. She's IS extraordinary. She's an extraordinary disgrace to this country. Nothing more than a good digging plagiarizing callous classless joke. At least Stormy Daniels was honest about what she is. This woman just gets caught repeatedly lying about her abilities. I honestly don't think she can read English any better than her semi literate husband. She sure can't speak it considering how long she's been in the country.
6
I have nothing against Melania. She is extremely attractive and has great fashion sense but I don't think she can effectively change the behavior of trump. Ivanka may have some influence but I wouldn't put money on it. When I think of Melania at all I just wonder how she can stand being with such a man. I think she has payed a big price for the wealth and privilege.
18
A person that supports the work of her husband and believes he's doing an incredible job is not a person whose opinion I can have any respect for. Being the wife a wealthy criminal has it's rewards . . . she always looks nice in pictures and dresses well. That's seems to be what she does: Looks lovely in pictures in beautiful, expensive clothes.
22
@hikenandclimbin
She also appeared in the French magazine MAX in full fronta nude back in the 1990's and as a Seinfeld script writer might state "there's really nothing wrong with that".
1
@hikenandclimbin - That's her JOB...look good,
dress well, be quiet.
3
Has any Trump shown they are the slightest interested in representing the American people unless they are purchasers of Trump merchandise or part of Trump's base? No. Melania may be first lady, but she has access to highly skilled employees. Her jacket saying that she doesn't care....said everything all of her by-marriage family have said repeatedly to our country...."What's in it for me?"
Nothing Melania has done has changed this picture.
51
Maybe she's just who she appears to be, someone who only cares about money, power, and shopping and who, like her husband, is utterly without compassion, curiosity, or conscience.
89
Yes, she prefers "modern." A "modern" face. A "modern" figure. All updated, all new. What else?
9
Donald has probably made her sign an agreement not to say anything negative.
14
I believe the general public, and Democrats (like me, included) have a positive opinion of Mrs. Trump, and we sympathize with her position as wife to a very flawed, spoiled man. I hope she can come to internalize the fact that people have a positive regard for her, and we distinguish her from her spouse. She is protective of her son and not an attention seeker.
74
@Diane
"Positive opinion"?
I think not.
6
@Diane
Please speak for yourself. Many of us haven't forgotten her birther speak or her libel lawsuit claiming that her ability to cash in on her "First Lady" status would be compromised by a minor blogger accusing her of, ahem, a dubious livelihood. No doubt that she is flyover country's ideal of "classy" and "elegant." America has sunk to an all time low.
8
@Diane Speak for yourself, not other Democrats and not for me.
Melania Trump’s nude photographs are a disgrace to the position of First Lady.
She’s costing the taxpayers literally millions of dollars in security, entertainment, and housing her parents at the White House, yet she is contributing nothing to the betterment of society. The only time she steps out of the shadows is to either insult children and parents who have been separated by her husband’s policy to flaunt a “I Don’t Really Care Do U?” jacket or show that she spent tens of thousands of dollars on a state dinner.
She announced a platform for cyber bullying, but has done nothing. Worse she’s silent as her husband tweets vile insults at everyone he disagrees with.
She’s not a victim of a “very flawed, spoiled man”, rather she chooses to be with him for one simple reason: he’s rich. If Trump had middle class income she would not be with him. Being a golddigger is not admirable.
15
“'He’s ‘Donald’ to her,' Mr. Barrack said."
Well, that's relief. I was afraid she had to call him "Mr. Trump."
46
Donald Trump is the president, not Melania, not his son-in-law, not his daughter. The buck stops on Trump's desk, not his wife's. I think that her avoidance of the public spotlight is wise given how much controversy her husband has generated. Furthermore, she's not a native American and probably doesn't feel any need to discuss herself, her choices, or anything else with the public at this point in time. She has a son to raise, a husband to manage, and that's quite enough at this point. If she wants to do more than being a parent and a spouse that's her privilege. If not, it's not our place to judge her.
I wish her well during her residence in the White House. I may not like her husband but she's done nothing wrong as far as I know. I didn't like W either but I had nothing against Laura Bush either. I think that the media and the public should stop expecting the president's wife to be an unpaid employee of the United States.
35
I think the media has actually been quite kind to her.
8
Other First Ladies have been intensely private and guarded their space while in the White House.Bess Truman and Pat Nixon come to mind.When a First Lady has a passion to share with the nation it can be very influential.Barbara Bush is beloved because of her tireless efforts for literacy.She inspired so many young people to treasure books.Her legacy lives on and we are all the richer for it.
14
It's unfortunate that the Trumps have little to offer in the way of warmth, humility, humor or the down-to-earth qualities we expect from our country's top couple. But this is what we voted for, and Ms. Trump should be off limits. She won't be remembered as a great first lady but that's her business.
7
@JR. Mrs. Trump, unfortunately, cannot have it both ways. While she may be in private a lovely and charming human being, she can’t choose to be married to a public figure, in this case the president of the United States, and demand to be judged as though he didn’t exist. We are judged by the company we keep, that’s just human nature, and so we are judged by our spouses whether we like it or not. This is the life she chose; if being an adult means anything, it’s means being responsible for and living with our choices. Isn’t that the fundamental lesson of adulthood? Actions have consequences.
78
Don't forget that she has opined in support of Trump on political matters and personal attacks. She too is one of the original birthers.
19
Why should she be off limits? She spoke at the Republican Convention extolling Trumps virtues.
1
Two things we will never see: the President's tax filings and the First Lady's prenup. She is walking a narrow line to secure a future for her and her son. Looking at her situation generously, she's probably just making lemonade from her big orange lemon.
116
Melania came here originally based on fraud - she was being paid for her prifessional skills which she denied when she applied. As I recall she was being paid by Trump organization.
If President Trump cares to he can point out the fraud in her resident and then citizenship. That puts her out of the country with her parents - chain migration undone.
Barron as a citizen stays here.
Presence or absence of a prenupt is sonething I have not heard of. But it would seem odd not to have one.
6
She went into the lemon market willingly to buy the richest lemon she could find. She wanted a life of wealth and luxury in exchange for sex. If she really cared about her kid she would leave that despicable man and take him as far away as possible even if she had to do what the rest of us do: actual, useful real work.
2
As someone who has been married "forever" to the same woman, I never try and second-guess spousal choices.
Why? Because I am sure that many wonder why such a nice, intelligent woman married me.
There must be some good Shakespearean line or quote from La Rochefoucauld on the subject but the heart and the mind aren't necessarily one.
If Ms Trump quietly differs from her husband then look on the bright side! There is one thinking adult in the White House.
17
@Fred
not really the case; she's frozen in place.
I believe she's disgusted by him, and is just waiting for the whole thing to be over. Or is that what you mean by 'thinking'... perhaps - .... 'thinking ahead'?
I'd just love to be a fly on the wall when she's with her sister and her parents..... I'm sure there are plans afoot. They should be very very careful what they say amongst themselves; it seems that recording phone calls and conversations is becoming routine.
I wish her the very best of luck.
3
Yes, she has not taken on the role of First Lady, but remember that she is very poor at speaking English. Some people pick up languages easily and some people can't, and tutoring doesn't help them. So at least give her a break on this point.
20
@Marty Smith
One would assume one would discuss this with one's spouse before he runs for office. And one would also assume that one's spouse would recognize one's limitations and have the empathy of a considerate partner, who might think of putting one's needs before his childish ego.
But hey, she is just experiencing what the majority of the country is enduring. I think there's an expression in English about making one's bed and lying in it. The rest of us technically didn't make our beds where the minority's president is concerned. So one has difficulty summoning much sympathy in this case.
10
Melania speaks five languages- you do her a disservice indicating she just doesn’t get foreign languages
I suspect her quietness is simply the way to survive when your partner needs (desperately) all the attention all the time. It is often the way when one half of a relationship behaves when the other is a desperate narcissistic
@Marty Smith
She says she's fluent in several languages. John Aravosis has a YouTube clip in which he shows what a phony she is. "Hello!" is not fluent.
4
I absolutely do not understand Americans, such nice people, those whom I have had the good fortune to meet - so how did it come to this? Please explain.
106
@JJ I know, I have lived here my entire life and I do not understand how he was elected, or how he has managed to stay in power this past year and 8 months.
25
the majority of us don’t understand either.
5
I understand your concern and allow me to try to explain.
You’ve met many admirable Americans.
There is also many angry, greedy, poorly educated, racist, left behind Americans.
They’ve been sold a bill of goods that yesterday is better than today or tomorrow and the fault is that of “the others “. Those who are different race, ethnic group, religion are conspiring against them. They don’t understand our national or their family history where not too long ago they were “the other”.
They are fed a daily diet of propaganda designed to keep them angry and manipulated. Trump is a perfect vehicle for their anger. It’s sad to see how so much good is being destroyed by this.
Please remember all the good Americans. We’re still out there.
Love over hate.
Wisdom over anger.
4
"She has weathered 13 years of scandal-plagued marriage and a rocky transition into the White House primarily for the benefit of keeping life stable for their son."
Perhaps not. She has weathered years of awfulness because she wants to lead the life of a very wealthy woman with all the perks she gets as the wife of Donald Trump. Keeping her son in the orbit of Trump is probably not the best way to keep his life stable.
207
@KC. I agree. If it were about concern for her son, I would think she'd take him and try to escape and lead a quiet life somewhere obscure. The kid has absolutely no chance of a normal life unless she gets him away from that man and the hellish spectacle he creates every day.
21
The real question that is beginning to be asked is " how will she perform when her husband is a prisoner in federal prison?"
69
To all of the Trump supporters (conservatives?) commenting on this article and condemning it as some kind of personal attack on Melania: your reading comprehension is quite poor.
The entire point of this article is that she and the President do not get along, and the extent to which he apparently belittles her efforts.
Although the article might be a critical commentary on the Trumps' marriage that exposes some unpleasant features of their personal life, it cannot justifiably be interpreted as some kind of attack on Ms. Trump.
It does, however, present the President in an unfavorable light.
48
The fact that Melania Trump doesn't call her husband out on his boorish behavior and evil edicts that have widespread negative impact on people's lives makes her complicit in the family's crime syndicate. She has every opportunity to try to dissuade him from separating families or destroying the environment. She chooses to look the other way. Melania may be an abused spouse, but she has a plethora of options; I hold no compassion for her, or her plight.
186
Pay attention. She’s said things that oppose him.
It takes huge strength of will to come out of a small Slovenia town and marry into wealth after a mediocre modeling career. Clearly, she has a plan and while being First Lady was unlikely part of it, she has adjusted according to her own needs and that of her family, all of which she sponsored to become American citizens.
What she can teach is goal setting. Keeping eyes focused on what you want to accomplish and not letting road blocks - a boor of a husband - shake it loose. What her innermost feelings are, few will ever know but she does seem to stay true to herself. Some admire that and some think she's a pawn but good or bad, she appears to have a game plan even if it's just being eye candy to get what she wants, what we all want, security for our family.
13
@Kathy She got out of Slovenia because of her looks. If I could traid on my looks, I would, but it's hardly the same as using skill, talent or intelligence to get to a better place.
3
@Kathy Nope, no huge courageous act at all! Just a desire for money and fame. She got both!
1
My husband offers me a hand when I get off the bus. He brings me coffee in the morning. What does your husband bring you, humiliation? Demands that you stay at your prepregnancy weight and youthful forever. People see the love and respect my husband and I have for each other. We see only disdain and distance in yours as your husband bounds out of the car oblivious to you and your son.
147
Kudos to the photographers, photo editor and designer of this piece. All of the images are exceptional, in particular the ones by Doug Mills and Al Drago.
11
Why do you think the images are exceptional?
1
Melania is a horrible person. She cares about her family. She's a devoted mother and a loyal wife. She is gorgeous and as a former model wears designer clothes. She is independent. Wow. How awful.
Hmmm. Wonder how many of you women hating on her, a woman, call yourselves feminists.
18
@Carol Colitti Levine How does being 'gorgeous' make her a good person? It has nothing to do with her character.
107
@Carol Colitti Levine She supported her husband's vicious birther nonsense. That in itself is enough for me to withhold respect from her. Even nonfeminists can agree with that.
50
@Carol Colitti Levine
I hardly think that marrying a boor, without morals or integrity or intelligence, purely for money, is being "independent". That is an insult to women who are actually supporting themselves and accomplishing great things on their own. Any former mediocre model can wear designer clothes if someone else is providing enough money. So could you or I.
A woman who takes money from a man for sex or to be arm candy has a definition. Not that I see anything wrong with however one chooses to make a living, but let's be honest about the motivation here and call a spade, a spade.
7
I don't think "mysterious" is the right word. "Vacuous" is probably more on target. And if any Democratic first lady acted as Ms. Trump does, she would be mercilessly ridiculed, harassed, and criticized 24-7 by the the right-wing media machine and members of the GOP base.
241
@Allen Drachir Mrs. Trump is already being criticized 24/7 What else is new?
@Allen Drachir you're absolutely CORRECT! Imagine if Michelle Obama was like Melania - she was constantly condemned for all of the positive things she did. She was very visible - yet a Harvard JD who had a powerful job and an identity of her own when she married Obama - in fact, earned more money than him - and it was clear they are partners. And love one another and their kids. You rarely ever so Trump with Barron - does he ever do ANYTHING with his family - I read when he's away on the weekends - he plays golf and has dinner with his friends. You never see photos of him and Melania doing "date nights" or attending events (plays, concerts, other cultural events) the way the Obamas did.
3
There is no there there -- she is an empty shell. Be best is a disgrace -- a campaign without backbone or substance in a fight against the causes it proposes to support -- causes in desperate need of backbone. Sad times for this country.
137
@Nancy
Be Best! Yeah! What ever happened to that? Had the half-life of a May fly.
Fake Architecture degree.
DJT said he’d address that when it first came to light.
Guess he forgot.
I haven’t.
98
I am not disputing Meliana's sex appeal but I'm tired of this constant selling of her as a "fashion model". Model yes, fashion no. Trump's PR team built an image of Melania as a fashion model and even arranged photo shoots according to Donald's liking.
If you buy anything from the Trump's, you're pretty gullible.
82
The First Lady owes the American public, that she represents, an explanation for The I don’t care graffiti jacket. What did it mean? Why did she do it? It was offensive and displayed no class at all.
89
The jacket and a whole lot else.
I see very little mystery at all. She is an individual who at some point cut a deal with a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Is there more to her than being simply one of Donald's many "deals"? I do not know. But if past decisions predict character, I find the title "First Lady" a bit misplaced.
She is a consort, obligated no doubt by contract to certain duties lest she forfeit all emoluments she had attained upon marriage to her employer.
I apologize if that sounds harsh. I was trying to use the kindest words I could find. But it is very hard to believe their marriage, hence her being First Lady, is based on love.
It is business. She wanted his wealth and was willing to cut a deal, and he found the deal appealing. That's all there is to it, because that is all there is to him. And as Melania is maybe learning, now that is maybe all there is to her, too.
204
"Consort" is a lot nicer word than I usually use but our points are the same. It's a transaction that is illegal in most places and considered to be the lowest of ways to make a living. But somehow it is supposed to be OK when Melania does it. Nope!
8
@pjc
And that is the truth, not harsh at all.
A mysterious first lady? The mysterious is how this couple are in the White House, that's should be the focus of the present article.
119
There is a natural inclination among Americans to want to embrace their First Lady. Melania Trump, however, is an exception. She exudes zero warmth, she is aloof, seemingly stand-offish, and has failed to do or say anything to endear her to the electorate. The clincher was her decision to wear the most callous piece of attire she could select — the parka emblazoned with "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" — to visit immigrant families embroiled in her husband's tyrannical move to separate children from parents. First Ladies have to earn their place in Americans' hearts. She has failed to do so, and seems proud of it.
132
Loved the video, and especially the end, with Melania holding up a book and telling the kids, "be YOU."
Who are you, Melania?
31
Just another woman willing to trade in her dignity and integrity for a large bank account controlled by a vulgarian. I see nothing mysterious here.
167
I read part of this long article, Melania remains a mysterious character.
Bot some of us do remember Melania supported her Husband trump`s nonsensical birther movement when Barack Obama was our President.
Melania spoke at length with Joy Behar.
Now she is the first lady and I don`t care .
Sooner trump is forced to leave the Presidency the Country will be better off.
102
To people who criticize her for marrying Trump: you come from a very poor backwards country and no money. All you have are your looks. A very wealthy man offers to give you the material world and to include you parents and other family members in his largesse. You cannot turn down the offer, not for yourself or for your family. You made your deal with the devil and you live with it. If you don't believe me, try talking to a few foreign women who married Americans that no woman would look at twice in this country...
29
@fireweed No, you don’t. Many women who share her background and history did not sell their soul to a corrupt wealthy person. They worked, became independent women, supporting themselves, their families and their communities. They became role models for women like me. Please do not try to undersell women. She could have applied herself, set goals and work hard to achieve her goals. She chose to sit and enjoy wealth of her husband. That is a choice she made and she has every right to make that choice. But, I hope that we teach and encourage young girls to dream big and work hard to achieve their dreams, be independent economically and in every other way. This way, they can be equal partner in any relationship.
11
Slovenia is not «very poor backward»!!! It's a developped economy with the per capita GDP of Michigan. It may be small and unfamiliar to you, but life in Slovenia is actually rather pleasant.
Melania was not escaping poverty. She wanted wealth, just like some others from rich countries.
2
Melania presents a blank slate, so others can pose their vision upon her. Marriages last because of shared values.
She made her choices to wear the troll fashions and support birtherism. Since she refuses to speak, she will continued to be defined by other people's words or emojis. Her beauty does not give her a free pass for her actions.
48
Melanie is all plastic, all fake and phony. Hungry for a quick buck. Not much different than the rest of the family. She’s also a birther, who supported her sugar daddy’s claim the president Obama was born outside the United States. I have no sympathy for her. She will not be viewed kindly in history
135
I guess articles like this are supposed to gin up sympathy for Melania. I’ve never heard her speak 8 languages. I’ve never heard her reinforce that “Be Best” campaign. And I don’t think she’s visited LeBron James’ new school, yet. She’ proven herself to be a fraud like her husband. And it hardly matters that she’s better dressed than him.
98
Don't say she doesn't do anything. Didn't her spokesperson just announce, in July, that Melania was busy with WH Christmas decorations? It takes that long to arrange for her to stand all alone, looking dejected and abandoned, in a doorway while watching some ballerinas dance for her?
56
No mystery here. She's a birther and supports her husband.
76
I think she would be a better president than her husband.
5
@Paul Ruszczyk
So would my 6-year old niece.
109
She certainly seems to know how to own the chair she's sitting in.
13
I'd like to see the NYT assign a team of investigative journalists to find out exactly how Melania Trump managed to get around U.S. immigration laws by obtaining a so-called "genius visa."
Those who knew her shortly after her arrival were previously quoted as saying Melania was an average New York fashion model, not a standout.
Please do some serious digging and find out the truth behind this woman's visa.
134
@Carissa V. I think you’re absolutely right. In light of Trump’s hypocritical immigration policies and positions, why isn’t this a bigger deal?
6
I think Melania Trump should totally occupy Trump Tower. Turn the huge grotesque apartment where she lives into a sanctuary for a family of immigrants who are the target of her husband's wraith. She should open up the space for meetings of Black Lives Matter as well as to be a crash pad for students coming to the city to rock the foundations of abusive murderous patriarchal power. There will be women's groups, disability activists and huge celebrations as each new letter is added to the list of those searching and discovering their sexual selves. Trump Tower need not be an ugly blight on the city. It can become a pulsating center of life emerging from the wasteland of power, greed and violence. And she herself can be transformed in the process into someone greatly admired and loved.
17
I have absolutely no respect for this person in any way. She is an enabler, a supporter and an opportunist. (not in a good way) She is upset because her husband has cheated on her multiple times?? Ummm.. How bout the fact that she was "dating" DJT when he was married. This whole debacle is disgusting and most foul. Yes we are all human and make mistakes etc. but never have we seen such willful disregard for basic decency and respect. NO she does NOT get a pass and YES this is NOT ok...
93
What a waste. As First Lady, she could be doing a lot of good for this country. Instead, she is hiding. Her husband is wasteful too, but he is doing a lot of harm.
39
Ms Trump married a rich but unattractive and otherwise difficult person ( to say the least). By becoming thd First Lady an extraoddinary opportunity was offered to her to show her compassion, engagement, talent, in a word her substance. She showed us she has none.
66
Eleanor Roosevelt was a force of nature compared to the rest and remained a force long after Franklin was gone. She had not only a a thorough command of the issues but a heart as well. I would have voted for her over Hillary any day of the week. Melania? A clothes rack with high cheekbones.
60
@stan continople
I agree with you about the greatness of Eleanor Roosevelt. In fairness, however, few people expect Melania Trump (or any First Lady) to be another Eleanor Roosevelt. Most Americans are generous & empathetic & tend to want to support whoever is First Lady. We don’t really blame any First Lady if she's not another Eleanor or Michelle. It is unfair & it is certainly very stressful for her, but any First Lady is a very visible representative of our country & of course will be closely scrutinized. All I expect from her is what I would expect from any adult human being: Compassion. Empathy. Respect for others. I admit I would also prefer a First Lady who smiles once in awhile, who maybe radiates at least a tiny iota of warmth. Unless of course she’s had so much plastic surgery & so many Botox injections that her face is permanently frozen into a stiff mask.
She made her bed in a separate bedroom. Let her sleep in it.
38
Someone please tell Maggie Haberman that we've had more than enough puff pieces on the Trumps.
56
She could have helped the migrant children, but decided to take a pass on them.
47
You'd think her own questionable immigration entry would spur her into being more compassionate toward immigrants. SAD!
2
complicit. as guilty as the rest of them.
40
Melania has taken a radically different approach towards her position as First Lady than did her predecessors. So, many are left wondering who this woman is and why does she act this way. But perhaps we should really be asking ourselves why the First Lady's (or someday, First Spouse) position has become so important. Why is the President's spouse expected to run their own office, find a cause, and constantly be in the public eye? While there is a long tradition for such activities, perhaps it's time to rethink the duties of this unpaid, yet demanding public service job. There may be a spouse in the future who doesn't wish to give up their career or there could be an unmarried President. The spouse should be able to forge whatever path they choose.
13
@M.W. Hard to imagine the wife of ANY president going unnoticed while wearing a long jacket adorned with huge block letters "I Don't Really Care, do U?" while visiting detention camps for very young Hispanics who were separated from parents at her husband's orders.
Either a person wants to be private and acts that way. or a person seeks publicity in the most blatant manner, ie being a birther, wearing that offensive jacket, choosing to wear hats with FLOTUS printed on them.
She can't have it both ways, wanting to be some shrinking violet, "now shy", modest woman while acting in a manner to draw as much negative attention as possible, with regard to American values.
49
@M.W. The First Lady has a public voice and power to accomplish whatever she is interested in doing. It is shocking to see someone waste that opportunity. Melania seemingly has no interests, curiosity or desire to accomplish anything outside herself. A life of shopping and getting one's hair done seems quite shallow.
5
Americans don't care about the Trumps. The Trumps do not care about other people, just themselves, money, and their photo ops. The less heard about them personally, the better. They have shown themselves to be horrible role models, not just for Americans but humanity in general.
40
The eventual presidents are the ones who ran for office. The spouses have nothing official to do with it. Personally I’d be perfectly happy if the “first spouse” played no role at all.
I think Melania Trump just wants to be left alone. I don’t think she ever expected to be First Lady and really wants no part of it. What she thinks about her husband we can only guess.
10
A few problems with Melania Trump. She jumped into the 2016 political scene by giving a speech that had been lifted from Michelle Obama. Rather than confess she first said she wrote it herself and then fell silent while her husband and the inner circle lied some more and then blamed it on a staff person. Later she announced an agenda that would combat cyber bullying. Not much has been done. Her husband is the best known cyber bully out there and not one word or tweet has come from Melania taking him to task. About all than can be said is that like Hillary she has been bombarded with stories about her husband's infidelties. Only difference is that the Evangelicals heaped scorn on Hillary and praise Melania. Melania does not deserve our respect as she has done nothing to earn it.
72
Until you mentioned her, I’d forgotten she existed.
31
The Trump administration dazzles in its contradictions making it clear that the American Dream is only for some.
There is still uncertainty surrounding the First Lady's first 'work' in this country. Immigration law stipulates that a visitor is not allowed to volunteer, that is not even allowed to work without pay. Were her first photo shoots work? Did she break immigration law?
In so many ways here immigration story resembles that of plenty others whom her husband's administration seems eager to deport.
I am wondering whether she and her immediate family maintain Slovenian citizenship. In some way they seem to have arrived, yet not here.
16
If she wanted, Melania could be a hero. Instead, she makes a choice every single day to remain an active participant in this preventable national disaster.
42
“No one tells Mrs Trump what to do.” Telling as I clearly remember her going on The View and supporting the Trump family birtherism movement. Shouldn’t that very public and easily verifiable moment make her personality and moral compass less abstract for such a group of seasoned reporters?
62
...and the divorce proceedings will follow the mystery.
12
There is no there, there. What even write such a long article about someone who chose to marry a born-rich real estate investor and has no interest in what she could do in the First Lady position? Fill the same space with articles about the erosion of democracy, the erosion of the post-World War 2 international order, and the attempted erosion of the free press and what that means not only at home but more importantly across the globe where a U.S. voice has traditionally been a beacon of hope and decency and shield agains autocratic squashing of honest reporting.
31
I suspect Melania is like many other women who stay with men of considerable power and means, it affords them a lifestyle free from economic concerns and that is what is most important to them. It doesn’t make her a good or bad person. It just is.
We’d like to think that a First Spouse is as invested public service as the person being elected, but it’s no shock that Trump is in it to win it. There is no sense of purpose other than to destroy anything Obama did and wield power to enrich himself. So, I doubt highly he and Melania discussed an agenda or their goals for what they would do to make a better America if elected, prior to taking the office they now hold. That we would expect she suddenly now develop a sense of duty to her adopted country is, well, naive. She’s just trying to cope with responsibilities she neither asked for nor wants. And she’ll do the bare minimum to keep up appearances. Melania will continue to do what has always brought her a measure of success: look the part and try to keep her mouth shut.
Melania knows who Donald is. She’s not dumb. As soon as he falls from grace, and he will, she’ll be gone. So let’s do the American public a favor and stop paying any attention to her at all. She doesn’t care. Why should we?
67
The unpaid role of First Lady, complete with stereotypically female role expectations, is an anachronism. It's unfortunate that in 2018 women are still being judged exclusively on how well they perform the role of wife.
250
Eleanor Roosevelt was an incredible First Lady, growing the role into something that influenced the world. She is an example of what a First Lady can be—even if it’s a position she only came to occupy because of her husband, she made it her own.
8
@Polly
I believe she is being judged exclusively on how well she performs the role of "human being"; more specifically, human being with more power than most of us to do some good in the world. So far, she is failing miserably.
4
@Polly - The irony of your comment is that this First Lady is married to a world-class misogynist and adulterer. If she does not wish to be judged in the anachronistic role of wife, she would have to somehow demonstrate that she rejects the role and the inherent expectations. Appearing by his side, smiling but otherwise silent and "totem-like", only reinforces her acceptance of that role.
5
Why is she mysterious? There is nothing there. If she wanted out, she would be gone. The money and fawning are what she wants.
39
The message on "The Jacket" could have been for only one person. The mask is off for The Donald.
5
Women married to wretched vulgar rich men are found amongst those of every political party in this country.
Women who stay with shamefully embarrassing or accused-of-various-misbehaviors or worse are found amongst those of every political party in this country.
Women who exchange their dignity for quid pro quos invisible to the rest of us are found amongst those of every political party in this country.
I find Melania indistinguishable from Jacqueline Kennedy. Do U?
4
No SCA. Mrs. Kennedy, in her week of valor and patriotism in November, 1963, led us with grace through a horror while deferring her own grief and anguish. There is an enormous difference between these two women, there certainly is.
10
@Miss Bijoux: Jaqcueline Bouvier gave up a fiancé she loved because her mother felt he wasn't going to make enough money. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy remained with a husband who repeatedly humiliated her and who suffered from a chronic STD that disgusted her. Widowed Jacqueline Kennedy married a much richer, quite repellent older man because he could provide the privacy she wanted.
@SCA. It does not take much work to find out the history of Jacqueline Kennedy‘s marriage to Jack. He was a philanderer and flaunted it. But nobody who saw them together for more than five minutes doubted for one second that he loved her and she adored him. His behavior in his generation of the wealthy was hardly out of the ordinary. And yes, she was prepared to leave and yes, Joe Kennedy paid her to stay. But the idea that being hurt terribly by his infidelities should also mean that she didn’t love him is just plain idiotic. Many women are hurt and leave their husbands for the same reasons, while still loving them. Just as many stay. Additionally, Mrs. Onassis was an educated, sophisticated woman who devoted her natural talents to serious work. Her first work as First Lady was to restore the White House to the building it should be. Following her husband’s assassination she devoted herself first to her children and then to her work as a book editor, a job she did with elan and great success. To compare this wise, intellectual, worldly woman to a fashion model who most likely gained citizenship illegally is ridiculous. For all of her faults, and they were many and visible, she was in a different league altogether from Mrs. Trump. At the very least, she didn’t insult the American people by participating in a racist movement against the president of the United States. For that she bears eternal shame. Nothing in the life of Jacqueline Kennedy is remotely comparable.
3
Melanie wanted/needed to marry a rich guy and Trump wanted/needed arm candy. Let's not pretend there is anything more to this "marriage." He talked her into a nude photo shoot on a Trump plane and while still married to wife #2 he called into the Howard Stern show to discuss his sex life with Melanie, who was laying next to him "wearing very little" he boasted. Ladies and gentlemen the POTUS and FLOTUS...be proud.
85
You nailed it.
2
Melania is out for one person— herself.
No sympathy. No support.
She’s just as selfish and self-interested as trump
65
Melania is complicit in Birtherism. Classy, she is not.
85
Complicit. Period!
38
Melania is just as bad as her husband, I will never forget h the words on her coats pertaining to the children separated by ICE.
34
Enough. The woman wore a jacket that said 'I really don't care, do you?' to visit terrified children in cages. Whoever she thought she was sending a message to, it backfired spectacularly and showed the world her true colours. I don't want to read another word about her and I hope she's miserable.
98
I wonder why she forgot the article in "Be Best". Reminds me of the movie "Murder by Death" -
Sidney Wang: What meaning of this, Mr. Twain?
Lionel Twain: I will tell you, Mr. Wang, if YOU can tell ME why a man who possesses one of the most brilliant minds of this century can't say his *prepositions* or *articles!* "What IS THE," Mr. Wang! "What IS THE meaning of this?"
Sidney Wang: That what I said! "What meaning of this?"
7
Great reference to great movie.
2
I find it ironic that many of these readers’ hateful comments directed at the First Lady are probably the same people who are the loudest advocate for the banning of “hate speech”. Apparently, your hatefulness isn’t reserved solely towards the President. I guess you’ll go after Barron next. Is there no shame?
5
“Hate speech” is when hate is directed at someone because of their race, gender, or religion—speech that removes a person’s individual identity and reduces them to only one aspect of their identity.
If someone bashed Melania Trump for being a woman, or for being foreign-born, or for being a brunette, that would be hate speech. Seems the insults I have read are bashing her for her individual identity, not for being a member of any particular identity group.
7
@CJR
Compared to the right wing’s personal insults against Michelle Obama, the criticisms of Mrs. “Birther”, with questionable immigration, are totally valid.
1
@CJR. A woman who visits children terrified and victimized by her own husband wearing a jacket with large letters stating “I REALLY DONT CARE DO YOU?” Lost any respect she had! She was callous and heartless.
1
Can you please add to this that she is a Birther
55
Poor dear sweet Melania. She's not quite the tragic figure America wants her to be.
16
@Andrew. The people of the United States have no desire to view the First Lady as tragic. She manages that role all by herself.
4
She'd be tragic if there was any substance being bottled up in her suppression of ideology/philosophy. Instead she is no more than a female version of her husband...pushed by narcissism and the quest for wealth.
3
Please stop glamorizing her. She's about as mysterious as her husband. These people are only too obvious and transparent
78
She's a birther and defended Trup's "boy talk" Enough said
58
I really don’t care. Do u?
59
To everyone saying she didn’t ask for it and the job is unpaid: 1, it’s not unpaid. Unless she has a substantial, independent source of income, she’s living off what her husband makes, and he’s paid with our money. In this case, she’s living off what her husband makes, which he’s making a lot more of given all the free publicity he’s getting by exploiting our country. Her protected travel is paid for by us. Her ability to live in the White House is paid for by us. When she retreats in privacy, that privacy is paid for by us. 2, she’s an adult, and her husband’s an adult, and if being the first lady gives her an unhappy lifestyle well it’s her problem she didn’t think it through earlier or if her husband didn't care about what she wanted. It’s not America’s job to pay for her marital problems. She didn’t have to be first lady; she can leave, and leave her husband, whenever she wants.
But while she dislikes being First Lady, she doesn't dislike it enough to leave. So if she's choosing to stay, she needs to step it up and quit wasting my money on monthly trips to NYC. And no, comparisons to Michelle Obama don’t fly; that woman worked the role of First Lady tirelessly from the second Barack was elected. No one can say she didn’t put all her effort into it, and she was raising two children, not one.
107
@Claire
Right on! Melanie is as big a fraud as her husband.
42
I read the article, therefore, I'm interested. So, thanks NYT.
I do wonder how a woman who has the qualities listed here can at the same time say that the president is doing a good job.
11
Melania is a mystery. She had money and certainly her choice of husbands before she married Trump. Because I want to believe that she is a decent person, I want to believe that she detests Trump and is waiting for his return to private life before she divorces him. I have no idea whether the two have an agreement--as much as anyone can have a binding agreement with Trump--on what she will get if she stays with him through his presidency. And I have no idea what the legal challenges would be with suing for divorce a sitting president.
7
I'm amazed by all the comments defending Melania as classy and elegant and therefore beyond reproach, and the idea that anyone finding her otherwise must be "jealous."
Melania lied about her non-existent college degree, lied about what her mother did for a living, refuses to show her work visa status at the time she first got paid work in the US, justified and defended Trump's vulgar comments about grabbing women against their consent as "just boy talk," spread birtherism lies on national television, swatted away Trump's hand in full view of international press. She sued the Daily Mail for $350 million for interfering with her "once in a lifetime opportunity" to market clothes, jewelry, etc. with her new visibility, then erased that passage after public outcry and claiming she never intended to profit from her position. She went to visit brown kids while wearing a jacket that said, "I really don't care." Her "Be Best" campaign asks children to do the work she refuses to hold her own husband to account for failing to do.
She is a beautiful woman, but I personally look for something beyond surface appearance in someone who is a representative of the US abroad and is supposed to be a model for kids at home. She's a perfect match for Trump and that's why I personally find her unsympathetic.
141
I am not a Trump supporter but do not harbor ill feelings toward Melania. (When she wore the "I don't care" jacket, my take was that the sentiment was directed toward Donald.)
That said, I was dismayed when learning about the nude photographs publicly available about our then First Lady-to-be. It was beyond my comprehension that a woman stepping into that position had such pictures available and that her husband was about to become President. It spoke volumes about the depths to which our country was about to fall...and to which it has.
21
I bear Melania Trump no ill will, neither do I have praise for her. She get the same courtesy, consideration and respect that I would show to any stranger I might pass on the street.
As for Mrs. Donald Trump and her place as First Lady, I would just as soon not have to be reminded (as though there's any escaping this nightmare), via the spotlight on her position, that her spouse is a monster, who daily wreaks havoc on our democracy and our souls, and he does it with a malevolent glee. In that context, she's an extension of him.
If she were to disappear into the woodwork, I wouldn't miss her. In fact I hope I should live long enough to never have to hear the name trump or see any of their faces ever again.
32
"One person who has spent a considerable amount of time around her said Mrs. Trump was far more relaxed outside the presence of her husband than when he was around."
Isn't everyone?
43
@L. Not in my experience, no. Many people I know are their best selves around their spouses and miss them when they’re not there. How terribly cynical to think otherwise?
1
ADN,
You misconstrued my comment. I was talking about Donald Trump.
2
I believe that many people have often neglected to take Ms Trump on her own terms, which is why this article is somewhat refreshing. The article highlights the lack of clear information surrounding the First Lady’s personal life making the assessment of Ms Trump exceedingly difficult.
Too often in this climate we are in, lack of factual information is a breeding ground for gossip and speculation, leading many into the trap of lumping Ms Trump’s traits, personalities, her action and/or inaction with those of her spouse’s.
And yet, while I do not condone certain aspects of her behaviour and attitudes, we should understand that she is not a reflection, nor vassal of her husband.
Reiterating this, we should strive to avoid basing our perceptions and opinions of Ms Trump on whatever her husband does, or does not do, lest we overlook her contribution to society. Too often women have been seen as a supporting feature or a lean-to for their husbands’ deeds throughout history. We perpetuate blatant sexism by diminishing her character and being.
Ms Trump must be taken an individual being in her own right, even if we don’t like what we see.
2
By any standard this is not a marriage. Rather. it's an arrangement and it would be quite interesting to see the formal contract.
21
Another article, this time by the NYTimes, about the misunderstood Melania. She is a poorly educated woman who was blessed with good looks, was a "model" when she was younger, and parlayed that into becoming the third trophy wife of a not-as-rich-as-he-claims old man.
She could have been a wonderful role model and spokesperson for special needs children. They have a special needs child, yet she spends her time instead being arm candy, wearing expensive, but inappropriate clothing whenever she is forced into the public eye.
Be Best? I Don't Care Do U?
193
Melania is with Trump because of the money. What does that make her?
89
I lost any compassion for Melania when I learned she is a birther.
171
all of us do things differently
1
That's how Donald Trump likes his women, seen and not heard
46
Being the "First Lady" of all Americans should be a great honor. With Melania ... it seems to be more of a bother, and something of an albatross around her neck.
But then, she married "the Donald". How could she possibly expect to be treated better than the other women he groped, or ex-bed mates he tried (!) to buy off and silence. Her husband constantly cheats on her, and she's supposed to smile and wave.
When one thinks of Jackie Kennedy, or Michelle Obama - those two women most certainly raised the bar in many ways. Their ability, strength, great communication skills, AND their genuine, natural beauty were something all Americans could be proud of.
I kind of feel bad for Melania, but then ... I don't. Her "beauty" and presence is more stilted, almost demon-like. While her frustration is understandable, it is no excuse for a woman in a position to lead our Nation in positive ways.
But then ... if you marry for money, you earn EVERY dime.
36
Not at all surprising that Melania Trump directs her East Wing to operate independently of the West Wing. It's naturally in keeping with her earnest desire to operate independently of -- and far, far away from -- her doofus husband.
Speaking of which:
The moment Trumpty gets thrown out of office, start keeping an ear open for Melania's divorce papers...
23
On election eve 2016 I sat next to a woman who told me she could never vote for Hillary because she stayed with Bill after the Monica and Paula issues
But that was a lie you see because she still loves Trump and Melania and doesn’t see the hypocrisy in her.
80
NON STORY - we know less about Melania than before this was written. She's made the devil's bargain, now she lives with it. Oh, and I DON'T CARE, DO U?
68
Until Melania Trump acknowledges and apologizes for her enthusiastic and shameful birthering of President Obama, she can take her anti-bullying and be best nonsense and cram it.
450
I can't believe all these mean spirited comments ridiculing Melania Trump. Must be another slow news day. We've gotten bored with Omarosa's shocking revelation that Donald Trump guzzles too much diet soda in her quickie tell all (Now 40% off at Barnes & Noble). Remember no one elected Melania Trump. Personally I think it's a relief that we have a First Lady with no big grandiose plans.
Cheer up bloggers. Thanks to the Constitution Melania Trump can't run for president unlike you know who.
7
Melania - I say she’s a Russian mole, she was the bait. She is did her job for HER country and is stoic and committed to her job.
30
I wonder what kind, if any, pre-nip she signed. Or, if any, NDA by which she’s bound.
13
More vapid than mysterious.
91
I really don't care, do you?
53
Republicans would never allow a Democrat first mate from another country!
31
Who cares about Melania, DO You? Why writing about this woman is even a news?
48
Surely there are MUCH more worthy subjects to occupy the indomitable Maggie Haberman's time? What a waste of resources NYT.
52
Can anyone think of another First Lady, dating back to the 1960s (with the exception of Pat Nixon), who has done less than Melania Trump this many days into her husband’s presidency?
55
@ALB - Lara Bush? She was pretty quiet. Rosalyn Carter?
Laura Bush and Roslyn Carter are both ethical, well educated women and great humanitarians. I would be delighted to have my daughter take after either one of them. Melania, not so much.
15
Please, this woman is as useless as her useless husband. She does nothing. What a pathetic individual she is.
92
While I agree that Melania Trump must have known what kind of man she was marrying and she did it anyway, I often wonder if she realized the depth of Trump's immoral behavior.
I would bet $5 that within six months after Trump leaves office she initiates divorce proceedings against him citing adultery and irreconcilable differences. Maybe three months after.
18
@Len - She would do better to just wait until he dies and take it all. He has maybe, maybe, 10 years left if his family genealogy holds up. And he is already showing signs of his father's illness.
6
Depends on the prenup.
She doesn't speak openly about her inner life, feelings and emotions. We can only speculate and draw conclusions from silent co-appearances with her husband. She plays cat and mouse games on twitter and on the backs of her wardrobe selections. When she has given the public anything it either wasn't in her own words or it was obviously scripted. She is the ultimate trophy wife who used her assets to insure a life of luxury few of us will ever know. She removed herself from the ranks of fellow business associates like Stormy Daniels .... I speculate. She has no pedigree and would never have moved in the circles she does without easily snaring the likes of a foolhardy Trump. She would have sunk into the background with the rest of the anonymous individuals who comprise the non-newsworthy mass.
19
@Helleborus. Please, don’t compare Stormy Daniels unfavorably to Melania Trump. That’s actually rather loathsome. Stormy Daniels is an ordinary, smart working woman making a living. It’s not dishonorable work. If working in the adult entertainment industry is somehow not considered worthwhile, what would we say about American politics, where the general class of human being is well below those Stormy Daniels would meet on any given day at work? Most of us have a lot more in common with Stormy than with Melania —which is to say, we work for a living.
5
She clearly has no interest in doing the things a first lady has traditionally done. Why not let her off the hook? I remember supporting Howard Dean back in 2004, and his wife was a practicing doctor who, I believe, intended to stay a practicing doctor if she had become first lady. What is so awful about letting the women decide for themselves what they want to do, rather than forcing them into some role that their husband's actions have pushed them into?
I say let her go back to New York and be a mom to Baron and do what she wants to do.
11
@anon
she has the free will to leave at any time........if she desires.
we know why she won't leave.
When Melania made her deal with the devil, she certainly did not expect, or want, to eventually be First Lady. She is living as separate from him as possible. I'm sure he has her tied up in a prenuptial agreement or she would be long gone. There is no reason to disrespect her; she didn't ask for this.
If, if Melania is so strong and independent, then we should look at the little she has done or not done as First Lady and conclude that she must be as disgusting as her husband if she supports him and his policies 100%. That she does so little independently of her silent support for him shows that she too has little respect for the role of the President and the First Family. I guess we the little people are to be grateful for the few crumbs she throws our way?
Let her focus on her hair and wardrobe, fine. But please don't try to paint a picture of a caring and active First Lady.
She is true to the Trump Family form. She is at least smart enough to stall the launch of her cosmetics line until after leaving the White House. She is self-centered and milking her present situation for money and future branding opportunities.
41
It’s all artifice and gaslighting all the time with her, as with Mr. Trump, her stepchildren and their spouses. It’s the family business, their stock in trade. Deception. Fraud. And highly choreographed, plastic, mostly mute photo-ops. Lightly scratch the surface and it all quickly falls apart. There’s no there, there.
She’s complicit. A deflection decoy, and willing participant in this Orwellian nightmare that seriously threatens the United States and the world. And no, she isn’t classy or dignified. Expensive clothes, extensive plastic surgery and exhaustively rehearsed camera poses, practiced affectation and contrived robotic gestures, hardly make an uneducated, self-absorbed, vacant 3rd wife to a crass, narcissistic, dubiously nouveau riche old man, classy or dignified. She might not be as obviously horrid as he is, (a very low bar), but she’s awful enough. And as conspicuously phony as they come.
155
The First Lady is well-dressed, but like everyone else in the Trump orbit, she is still very much an Empty Suit.
66
People forget that she sided with Trump's birther campaign, and had no qualms about her haughty demeanor while living in Trump Tower. She has no history of any generous philanthropic giving, she plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech, and she lied on her webpage about her background and history until they removed it. Katy Waldman of the New Yorker called her the "avatar of blankness," and indeed this is what we have. Melania Trump is free to do what she wants, but I would not feel sorry for her. She married a sociopathic boor, so she knew what she was getting into when she married him. So where does that leave us? I don't begrudge her beauty, good taste, and shrewdness, and she seems decent enough, but at the same time, we've had better first ladies who were more engaged and present. Looking for "clues" as to what Melania Trump really thinks is a waste of time---I doubt we will ever know. What we do know is that she's married to the one of the worst presidents in American history, and that she has to bear his presence long after we do. If we are fortunate, our burden will end in November 2020, then she can return to her spa days at Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower and be done with us as well.
73
@Birdygirl
Who do you think was worse the Trump?
3
How can you not mention that she supported Trump's birther claims? When she spoke out in support of husband's racist birther conspiracy-- we all learned that she has his back even when he espouses racism. Melania is an adult with agency, not trapped by Trump in any way- who supports her awful husband.
68
I will say that Laura Benanti has been great on Colbert with her Melania skits. Complicit indeed!
16
Yeah, I am going with the enabler in a gilded cage narrative. I think he's paying her to stick around
18
@James Panico I agree, she is being paid!
"The president suggested that Mrs. Trump choose a different topic to avoid questions about how the wife of a notorious Twitter bully could lead a campaign to spotlight anti-bullying and other child wellness efforts, and he warned her that she was opening herself to such jeers, people familiar with the conversations said. " So--Trump admits to himself, his wife, and his staff that he's a bully? That degree of insight and honesty seems unlikely and made me doubt the sources and the reporting.
21
I don't know her but I don't feel sorry for her. She is a big girl, and she can make her own decisions. The fact that she stays with him means she is either really blind or really in love. I don't really get it. At least she looks nice!!
5
I feel bad for Barron. He is at that age when kids can be very cruel. She knew what she was getting into, Barron did not. Who knows what affect this is having on his development? What kind of adult will he become? What will his beliefs be?
What a mess.
16
trump’s older children were furious when their father split from their mother. At least one of the boys did not speak to his father for years. The children spent a lot of time (very happilly, apparently) with their maternal grandparents in Europe. Barron nay be headed down a similar path.
4
She is someone who wanted to be married to Donald Trump. What more do we need to know?
She scowls. She lies (college degree, wrote that speech herself "with very little help"). Her clothes wear her, despite her modeling background.
She's only interesting because of the mystery of how she can abide her husband. I like people who aren't mysterious, to paraphrase.
46
If the tables were turned and she were the First Lady of a Democrat she would be ravaged by the right.
87
@Mike OK
I agree Mike which means she is in a constant flux of a no win situation.
2
@Mike OK
Bingo!
8
I'm waiting for the day the first lady and Mr trump go to a restaurant and shake hands with ordinary folks or go to a concert or visit schools and give example of decency and modesty.When will they be a uniting force in the USA.Wish they would smile sometimes,or be gracious to their political opponents.
28
The only three First Ladies I think about for various reasons are Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama. They made a difference that impact so many on so many levels and they showed incredible strength and style. Other than Barbara Bush’s literacy vision, Pat Nixon’s open and honest confession about prescription pain medication and alcohol addiction, and Nancy Reagan reliance on astrologers for advising Ronnie, all of the others are irrelevant to me and my life for their only real claim to fame is having been called The First Lady.
27
@Marge Keller
Don't forget Laura Bush's reading programs-she was a librarian, after all- and her focus on women's issues throughout the world. I remember all the traveling she did in Africa and other places promoting women's issues.
22
I think it was Betty Ford who went public with her alcoholism and addiction to pain killers.
24
@Marge Keller
I'd also applaud Rosalyn Carter for not slapping Rush Limbaugh silly when he took such obvious pleasure in publicly insulting her daughter's appearance.
37
Mrs. Trump has chosen her path. She has kept her bargain.
I can only imagine the other choices she rejected.
For millennia almost all women have found their choices limited.
Only a few of the world's women in the 21st century have some freedom to choose. She could have been an 8 year old muslim girl married to an old man. She could have been a princess sold to the most important alliance. She could have been a poor, uneducated American woman with few real opportunities.
I actually honor her for her sacrifices whatever they were.
1
As soon as I saw who one of the writers was (Haberman), I knew this is another PR attempt to resuscitate (rehabilitate)"I don't care , do you" our Be Best first Lady.
She is a disgrace to the position. I am embarrassed for our nation.
I would hope no more ink will be wasted.
If this is too harsh, think about the babies in cages.
152
"First Lady" is not an official position. The wife of a president is only that, the wife of a president. If she's taken the "role" of a president's wife to be private, that's fine with me.
9
@HKGuy If she wants to be "private", why would she go to the border where Hispanic kids, at her husband's orders, are yanked from their Moms and put in detention, all the while she's wearing a jacket that literally screams in huge letters down the back "I don't really care, do U?". Now THAT is seeking privacy.
Or, in her quest for privacy..... why would she then wear a baseball cap with the huge logo on it "F L O T U S". People might have mistaken her for some other woman accompanying the president to the hurricane ravaged coast of Texas?
14
@alice I agree with all you have written except the last point—consider this: might people have mistakenly thought she was Hope Hicks?
Melania trump has no credibility whatsoever owing to her association with Donald trump.
66
She's a fraud just like he is.
142
By staying with a man who by all accounts is cruel, a liar, is unhinged, and completely lacking in empathy, she has shown what her priorities are; wealth and comfort. For her to remain silent makes her a co-conspirator. I gave her the benefit of the doubt at first because she did not ask for her current position, but she has been in a position to change it, yet has done nothing to help anyone other than herself. I don't begrudge her choices -- pretty young women have married horrible rich men since, well, forever -- and I recognize that sometimes that is the best way out of a dire circumstance for many women without power or resources, but can we stop pretending that she deserves our sympathy or a platform?
77
@brian nash And Hilary??? Why did she stay???Could it be political ambition? No not that!!!
3
@greatnfi What on earth does Hillary have to do with this? WHAT? I am not a fan of Hillary, and my assessment of Trump and his wife has nothing to do with anyone else. What? Are you twelve years old and point to someone and say "they did it, why can't ?" Grow up for crying out loud.
3
No comparison. Hillary was enormously qualified. She studied law, she had political ambitions. She was not the mail order, soft porn model bride of a much older, nauseating “tycoon” whom she married for the money and for easy entry into the US. No matter what the frantic spinners in her inner circle say, she is not a mystery but a nullity and a collaborator.
20
- derided Barack Obama's citizenship in numerous TV interviews
- copied and appropriated Michelle Obama's speech
That's who Melania Trump, the "mysterious" First Lady, is.
172
She’s made her choices to get what she wanted.
That’s rather than living the life of a rich man’s latest wife, she’s under the microscope is of no concern to me.
41
Weirdest. First Couple. Ever.
88
This article was interesting because to me the first lad of our country has always seemed mysterious in videos I've seen and articles I have read abut her. After reading this it seems like she cares about the wrong things in the world. She is worried about the looks of her designer clothing, and the furniture in the white house rather then looking into the good she could do to change the world in a better way. According to the article, she has a smaller staff then normal and ignores guidance from others. I still wonder a lot about Malania Trump.
8
@Madeline Rosen Remember Jackie??? Her clothes , her looks the White House Furniture?
1
@greatnfi. Sure, and do you remember her support for American museums? Or that her concern with furniture wasn’t personal at all but was a massive restoration of a decaying White House? Or that she had an entirely independent career as a successful book editor? Oh, but right, I forgot, she was only interested in fashion. Good lord, the truth just doesn’t matter to you folks, does it?
As the country song goes, if you marry for money, you're going to earn it every day of your life. Anyone who would wear one of the ties from the DT collection or would, worse, marry the Donald, obviously has very poor taste. We all make mistakes, but owning up to them is the first step towards moving past them. Melania's focus on her 'personal health' should start with restoring some integrity. Or maybe she really does think that Trump is a wonderful person and president, in which case, why waste digital ink on her story?
23
A total cipher, when you compare her to anyone, forget about other First Ladies, she comes off as a pretty shell. I’m sure somewhere in there beats a heart but she’s just taking up resources in DC with no return on investment.
20
"Mr. Trump’s tendency not to relent on even the smallest requests from his wife.""
That alone shows how much he hates her. I never heard of a husband not obeying his wife in everything...
4
Separate bedrooms; separate hotel suites. Those facts speak louder than any comments made by friends and employees of the Trump family about her purported feelings for Donald.
I would feel much more pity, and perhaps even admiration, for her if she was able to summon the courage and decency within herself to make her separation from Donald permanent and legal. No human being should have to endure marriage to a serial philanderer, liar and bully. Of course if Donald came clean and admitted to his past colluding with prostitutes and Russians, sincerely asked for Melania's forgiveness, and promised never to lie to or betray her or his country again, she might justly remain with him for the sake of their child. But at this point, how could she possibly believe he would keep his promises? He has zero credibility.
The sooner both this country and Melania sever relations with Donald Trump, via impeachment and divorce respectively, the better all of us will feel about ourselves. But if she stays with him to his bitter, angry, bullying end, she cannot reasonably expect any sympathy outside of that from her husband's diehard fans.
21
I have no idea who Melania Trump is. She seems like someone who could land on her feet ,whatever the situation. I have no idea of what to expect from a First Lady. We have had wonderful ones who have spearheaded good causes. I read about Eleanor Roosevelt and thought she was amazing. Melania is only one part of this rocky ship that sailed into the White House. If I were her, I would be lawyer-ed up at all times and protecing Barron would be first.
4
I gave our first lady a chance, but after the clear message on the coat, she lost my vote. I have no hope in this white house, or this administration. Their main focus was and always will be, to get rich off of my tax paying dollars and yours too. As Mr. Trump would say, #SAD!!!
28
Going to take a wild guess here and say that I'd bet that Melania can't stand any of the president's base and tries to avoid them as much as possible.
14
First Lady = “senior administration official”??? That’s what this article says! Why no corredtion?
11
Her parents just became US citizens via “chain migration.” Feigning Care for she made a photo op trip to the southern border wearing a fascist inspired logo, “I really don’t care. Do you?” During the campaign she pushed the birther lie on tv. Just another member of the swamp.
147
This story is the first I’ve read of an older sister living in the US. Another link in the chain of migration.
12
She knew her husband was a snake when she put it in her pocket.
And the fact that she's parroted her husband's ideas and opinions more than a few times gives me no reason to feel any empathy towards her.
55
Gee, what a sad, empty life: Melania.
19
Why are you still married to him? Your parents got U.S. citizenship. Your aim has been attained.
42
The story told by Dick Cavett about George S. Kaufman's disinterest in the plight of a young Eddie Fisher serves to characterize what would laughingly be called my interest in the former Melanija Knavs.
Because of its length, the Cavett story cannot be posted here, and any attempt by me to edit it down would destroy the impact. It is available here:
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/the-titan-and-the-pfc/
3
Hey, she’s just biding her time until all this and/or her husband is gone.... She could care less what we think - and can afford to do so.
*sigh* But, oh, those shoes... *sigh*
4
@William B.
Sorry, I hope you mean “couldn’t “ care less.
4
Sorry for the error - thanks for correcting me.
:)
I have no sympathy for this woman. When she married Trump, she knew exactly what she was getting: a lying cheating philanderer with money. Her goal was to get her family here, and through chain immigration, she has succeed. That poor child Barron, secures the money beyond the pre-nuptial agreement. So she's smart and calculating. Perhaps the only thing she didn't foresee was the presidential gig. Neither did most of us.
That doesn't give her a pass. She does nothing, and although there is no job description for first lady, there have been many women who have made it a useful platform for the good of this country. The bar was set very high by Eleanor Roosevelt, but even Bess Truman, who wanted nothing to do with politics, and spent much time away from DC , did more than Melania.
Melania was meant to be eye candy for an older rich man. She's doing that job, and nothing more. Be best!
35
The hatred and closed-mindedness in these comments is palpable.
For shame.
7
@Don Marple I thought the same thing when I read the comments people used to make about Michelle wearing sleeveless dresses
44
@Don Marple
Hatred & Closed Minds.
Isn't that the Trump Family Motto?
26
So did I.
I don’t really care about Melania Trump, do you?
220
she serves no purpose and has no say. she is living her life for herself and the kid, not the country. she married a man with money and narcissistic misogynistic malignancies... she is useless to him and is disrespectful as he is to all
15
In many ways she is just the type of wife one would envision for Trump. And, maybe we should be glad she is not more active. One less intrusive and offensive force from that house is a good thing right now.
41
Like the American population, I am getting old. I suppose, for her profession, Melania is too. It is no picnic to get old; it requires a fight, a backbone. Melania doesn't seem to have one. She could be an advocate for immigrants. We don’t have enough immigrants. The U.S. fertility rate has fallen to a record low. Immigrants make better citizens than native-born Americans. They are less likely to have kids out of wedlock. Far less likely to commit crime.
She always knew the absence of genuine affection was the price, and she was willing to pay it for herself. The spine-strengthening may come to Melania as it becomes clear in her adolescent son's behavior that an affection-less father can be deeply harmful and enraging to a son.
17
I'm waiting for the day the President of the United States is a woman. Will the media have the same expectations of the First Gentleman?
11
After trying to give her a chance to settle in on her new living and
Totally Invented New Projects, I read this article and finally threw in the towel on my patience with all things Mrs. Trump.
It all boils down to “much ado about nothing”.
Her imprint on her time in Washington and America’s First Lady
is headed for invisibility.
37
I won’t choose to criticize Mrs Trump. She is who she is but what makes me hurt and angry is the acceptance and adoration of this “classy woman” by Trump supporters. The same people who maligned the truly classy and selfless Michelle Obama and called her names I hate to think about let alone write down. In addition they went after Mrs. Obama’s mother for getting a free ride by living in the White House. Anyone hear them complaining about Trump’s in-laws? We know what it was and it was racism loud and clear and way too many people who were disturbed to see an accomplished African-American family in the White House seem to have no problem with the Trump Family. Sad.
335
Why in the blazes should I, or anyone else, give even a moment's thought to such a selfish and useless person? Even if her only goal is to spend her husband's money & do nothing but buy stupid over-priced clothing and look sullen all the time, at least she could do so with good grace. She is the First Lady, after all. She could at least pretend to be an adult. Oh, who am I kidding. Look who she married.
111
It's easy to know who Melania is. Just look at the spouse she chose and supports.
63
The only way that Mrs. Trump can actually prove that she has all the strength and gumption that her supporters claim she has is for her to go on Ellen DeGeneres's show, and do push-ups against Ellen.
If Trump can beat Michelle Obama's 26 push-ups (versus Ellen's 15), then I'll accede that she's as tough as her supporters claim.
But if she can't (or won't) do this, then I'll continue believing that she's as much of a vapid, lying, narcissistic puppet as her husband, and that she does deserve all of the scorn that's heaped upon her.
(After all, Michelle Obama persevered and retained her strength, composure, intellect, compassion, grace, and good humor despite enduring years of undeserved scorn from the disgustingly intolerant Right.)
66
The fact that she stays with a man who has promoted violence, decreed that children be separated from their parents, and demonstrated his blatant racism countless times, says a lot about her lack of integrity. If she really cared about the democracy and the people of what is now her country, she would have left him long ago. She is just another of his sycophants now, keeping quiiet, along for the free ride.
64
She bold-faced lied about having a university degree, and shamelessly dug in even after she was found out;
She bold-faced lied - and without even being prompted, boasted about writing a speech all by herself that was soon found to be partially plagiarized; She then quickly turned around and blamed a speechwriter. Took no responsibility herself.
She callously insisted that a female journalist who wrote a largely anodyne column on her, “asked for” the anti-Semitic attacks she subsequently got from the MAGA crowd;
She also boasted (and still boasts) of immigrating to America “the right way”, and callously sided with her husband insisting that “illegals” - as she called those brought here as undocumented children, should be returned to their home countries.
She’s clearly not a good person; kinda hard to understand how she’s still being cast as somehow decent when she clearly isn’t. Her blatant and unecessary lies alone should’ve been enough to peg her as well-matched to her husband.
298
@Sam
I was just rereading that article you refer to. It’s one of the more in-depth pieces you can find on her. She was upset about what the writer said about her poorly performing caviar facial thingie, but really, it was, as you say, about as anodyne as you can get and pretty much accurate.
Like others are saying, I think she is kind of a Chance Gardiner, a blank people project on to. I think she has shown some seriously bad instincts (birtherism and all you mention, Sam), perhaps influenced by the man she’s married to, as sometimes happens, but how it will turn out for her by the end of all this is unknown. She may be getting sick of the kind of increasingly unhinged behavior he exhibits (thanks Omarosa) and be biding her time until she can get out and be free of him. What does she need him for after all? He needs her more than she needs him.
The article: https://www.gq.com/story/melania-trump-gq-interview
5
Just reading the nasty comments here gives me no pause as to why Melania Trump has decided to live a much more private life than previous first ladies. The names she has been called are appalling and juvenile. I think some folks need to grow up.
8
Tamar, please see Paul-A’s comment. It’s a perfect rebuttal to yours.
1
@Tamar Reminds me of when she demanded, on a TV show, President Obama's birth certificate, even though he had already released it.
52
@Tamar It's par for the course these days. Remember how the right constantly harped about Michelle and her looks, her projects or her facial expressions? Now we have a first lady who was born into a family that was a member of the communist party, posed nude, became a citizen by marrying a rich man and then brought her sister and parents to the country, there's nary a word about her from the right. Their hair would have been on fire if Michelle had been a "model" and brought her relatives from another country into the US.
59
It doesn't take a detective or a psychologist to know that separate lives, separate bedrooms & separate apartments while travelling denotes a loveless marriage. Divorce is out of the question while the dictator-bully is President (it would look like disloyalty!), however, a woman with any standards of morality, courage & intellect would run for the hills the moment he is out of office. She seems to care greatly for Barron; for his sake alone, this model for a father is destructive & she would "Be Best" to remove him from such influence.
20
@Perspective If she cared so much, she would not have married Trump in the first place. I don't know about the rest of the country, but anyone living in NYC knew exactly what kind of person he is way before he was sworn in.
30
What is this nonsense? Melania was a ringleader “birther.” Thus beginning an entire deranged cycle of -actual- fake news: a reality of teachers having to argue about the shape of the planet with their students because the internet (and Ma and Pa) say it’s flat. A reality where Alex Jones and Trump mutually endorse one another, perpetuating nonsensical violence against enemies that don’t actually exist. Stop glorifying her for doing absolutely nothing as the country crumbles.
123
Melania fascinates us.
Like Queen Berengaria, the wife of the crusader Richard the Lionhearted (a woman who never saw the England that she ruled) she is like a Rorschach test- she can stand for anything.
The mystery- how such a woman could put up with being shackled to Donald Trump?- provokes curiosity.
I see her as someone who initially wanted the things that Trump could provide her. I think she was willing, then, to be compromised by his immorality. People make much of the fact that she was dating him while he was still married to Marla. She agreed with him about the Birther claims; and yet, when she was (at the Bush funeral) with the Obamas, she was clearly happier and more relaxed than she's ever seemed to be, on just about any public occasion with her husband. In fact, her face changed at the inauguration, when he looked away from her. And the hand slaps, the no-shows (after the Stormy Daniels revelations), the contradictions- (about CNN, Giuliani's foolish statement- that she "supports" her husband, and most importantly, about Lebron) show that she actually finds it important to distance herself from the West Wing- and of course her husband. Even her jacket's message, "I really don't care", didn't take away from the symbolism of her visit to Texas. But her timing- putting it on just before boarding Air Force One- seemed designed mainly to separate it from the president.
And so she is on target to be the only person to survive the the Trump White House.
8
She is married to a man who has probably told her, whenever she has protested-"If you don't like it, go back where you came from" or "remember what you were before I found you-a nothing" or other such hurtful remarks. When she said he 'hits back 10x harder', I think she knew firsthand what she was talking about. Yeah, she was at fault too for marrying for the money and prestige but I think there's a ton of anger for the blatant disregard he shows for their son. and the favoritism to Ivanka. There's probably an iron-clad pre-nupt by which he get's any children born in the marriage and she's not walking out on her son, whom her husband seems to ignore. I see a woman stuck between a hard place and a rock.
She's no Michelle, that's for sure, but her marriage is not to Barack either.
30
She probably has some Non disclosure contract, but he cannot dictate the terms of child custody in a divorce.
4
Melania would do us all a service and give us comfort if she would file for divorce right now and tell everyone that he is an even worse liar and cheat than we know. You could have a $50 million book deal, Melania. Make that $500 million. I’ll buy five copies.
34
It's hard to garner any feelings at all for a paper doll, no matter how pretty, locked away in a box somewhere. It's equally hard to imagine this minor person as First Lady. A cardboard cutout could do the work better.
67
I find Maggie's coverage to be pretty up front most of the time, but why does the NYT publish these friendly, humanaizing articles about Melania and Ivanka ? Are they sponsored, or just fed whole-cloth? Why carry Trump water ? Is it a political hedge ? I can't figure it out. The kids are all shameles frauds and schemers, juit like their dad, and to marry into it? The most diplomatic term I can think is 'mercenary'. And that's biting one's tongue.
At least you open the "comments" forum for us to vent our bile, but seriously, one has to wonder.
120
I find it difficult to view her with any respect. She was one of the original Birthers, a movement originated and elevated by her racist husband.
She was all in, fully complicit. Just like the day Trump rolled down the escalator with her by his side and began his campaign of hate against immigrants and Muslims.
98
I don't really want to use the quote that was on the back of the infamous jacket, but it really fits here. I could not care less about this person. She is married to a monster. That's enough for me.
82
If we are to recognize the position of First Lady as the opportunity that it is for profound influence upon the American People, we can be allowed to scrutinize the person who holds it.
There is no reason to demand the quality of an Eleanor Roosevelt, a Jackie Kennedy, a Ladybird Johnson or a Michelle Obama from Melania Trump; the public votes for the President, not their spouse. The question remains: what does the First Lady do with that most conspicuous, figurehead role? Those earlier women fixed upon messages they found important and dedicated energy to promote awareness.
One cause that is of global concern today is human trafficking. Mrs. Trump's origins and path to this country are murky. Her earlier profession has been euphemistically called 'modeling'. No one should force an expose of anothers' past, but if an individual has experienced abuses that afflict millions now and they have the position to make a significant difference in the world, it is a rare chance to overcome adversity and shed a light on a societal blight.
17
If we're honest: the Trumps are America's involuntary reflex reaction to the Obamas. In the most ironic, sardonic sense, their differences are as stark and distinct as the color black is from white!
Unfortunately, the Trumps are metaphors of America's rancid, rotten core...now perfectly ensconced in OUR White House!
100
At a loss to imagine why anyone would criticize her for visiting the children...at least to the extent she needed to wear that coat in defense.
2
Because the kids are still in cages.
11
@Gail It was all just a photo op. She never met, spoke with, or even saw one of the children.
5
This article asserts that Trump sometimes "feels guilty" about criticisms leveled at Melania. It also quotes Barrack uttering the statement that Trump respects his wife's opinion. These assertions appear to be baseless on their face.
12
The "office" of first lady does not officially exist, it has no official duties of any sort and is not mentioned in the constitution. As usual those traditionalist think it has some official required activities, it does not. That is the bottom line, she is a wife, and an individual with ideas and tastes of her own. Nothing more or less.
5
@vulcanalex
I agree completely that Melania is her own person and can do whatever she feels, however, she is in the limelight at this point in her life. It is an opportunity for her to give weight to what she believes in, to do good for fellow Americans, to inspire, to shine. Sadly, for whatever reason, she prefers to recede into the shadows most of the time. That is a loss.
4
@EFM: I think she has, in your words, "given weight to what she believes in" - ridiculous shoes, expensive clothes, and herself. Period.
"Her staff is small — 10 people, compared with more than 25 who worked for Michelle Obama or Laura Bush"
But what is it that she's actually done in the time that she's been in the White House? And she needs 10 people for that?
Sarcasm aside, I would like to see her do something and be seen by the public, that keep so quiet and personal.
13
Perhaps more articles about Mrs T’s clothing? Hair care products? I’d love to know the kind of blow dryer she uses, and how she feels about the volumizer attachment.
You may as well be Jimmy Fallon patting the comb-over.
You need to stop these articles. Really. All the news that’s fit and all that.
95
Melania is a bought and paid for “wife” from Eastern Europe. With a prenuptial as long as your arm. Not doubt she had to sign one of Trump’s famous non disclosure agreements.
It’s will documented here in NYC, that she worked here as an illegal immigrant for three years while trolling for a rich sugar daddy, and an American passport.
Whatever she’s getting is more than deserved.
112
Hey, did you know that Melania Trump is a birther? You wouldn't from reading this article. Just the latest is a series of access-based devoted hymnals to the corrupt first family.
75
If ever a woman was prisoner in her marriage, it's Melania.
She is likely waiting for December 2020 to divorce the Cheater-in-Chief.
A braver woman would leave now for the sake of her child, but no one has ever accused Mrs. Trump of having courage. Meanwhile, I look forward to the childish hissy fits.
10
@Sparky If you actually thing a super model is a prisoner, I really thing you live in a fantasy alternative reality, as do so many progressives.
1
@Sparky At age 72, obese and living on a diet of cheeseburgers and ice cream, he's got one foot on a banana peel. She's smart if what she's doing is biding her time. Cold, I know.
10
@vulcanalex
Uh, she was never a “super model.” Not even close.
*Yawn* Who cares about her? She is of no help to the American people. Bafflement about her marriage is not newsworthy, nor is her awkward feigned empathy. Hope that she would restrain the worst impulses of the screaming id we have for a president were merely that. Articles like this are a form of Washington People magazine, and not worth the ink. Stay on task. Now how about those security clearances?
43
I can't believe I actually read this, but I did.
Melania, out of her league, unqualified, clueless - ust like her husband,
142
@Ruth Well since she has no official job your idiotic comment is just that idiotic.
1
@Ruth
After reading this, I’m convinced they’re both hopeless.
14
[[Melania Trump, a Mysterious First Lady, Weathers a Chaotic White House]]
I don't really care. She placed her bet in life. Deal with it.
Organize, register, vote.
116
A couple thoughts:
I don't feel sorry for Ms. Trump. She signed up (literally, likely) for what she is getting with full knowledge of the bargain. She had a child to cement herself forever to the money (as did Trump's 2 previous wives), and her payout probably goes higher the longer it lasts. I can't know what's in her mind, but her actions betray, to me, loathing for those that do not inhabit the air of the privileged. Witness the words of her spokesperson, that drip with disdain. Maybe her focus is on her fitness because all she has to do is outlive him.
37
@Peter Riley. According to various interviews, Trump did not want another child. He already had four with his previous two wives. Melania did want a child, so Trump made her agree to an iron-clad agreement that, if she did have a child, then she would return her body to the exact condition it was prior to her pregnancy. That was the deal. He didn't want his trophy wife marred by the ravages of pregnancy. She agreed.
I am undecided about my feelings about her. Sometimes I am in the "save Melania" camp. Sometimes I am in the "just like her rotten husband" camp. I respect that she wants to be private. I think at it's core I see the lack of affection, his affairs, and his lack of support and think she deserves to be treated better. I see the "be best" campaign as her trying to actually do something important. With a different husband it would be able to be successful. But, she is married to the biggest bully on the internet. She is fundamentally at odds here. Publicly, her husband's supporters expect her to be a good republican. But, she's a democrat and just can't fake some things. If he was still just a reality show guy, she would be part of the resistance. I can tell from what she does show.
4
@Fran if she is not part of the solution she is part of the problem. Her be the best is really be the beast.
6
If she is truly concerned about her son's welfare she should remove him from trump's influence now. She certainly has the ability to hire an excellent divorce lawyer who can argue that trump suffers from toxic narcissistic tendencies and possible dementia and as such, is a danger to his young son. He would be required by a court to undergo psychiatric evaluation by a qualified professional not of his choosing.
She would be protecting her son and the country, it would be very difficult for republicans in congress to argue for the continuation of his presidency if he is proven in court to be demented.
21
@Lee
Would a divorce proceeding require his tax returns for alimony discussion? Hmmm.
15
I suspect it is no accident that two of Trump’s wives grew up in Communist bloc nations.
They know many of the tightropes one walks when living in the territory of an autocratic, narcissistic leader.
I hope her son Barron will do well under her protective, devoted care.
12
Mrs. Trump might be the reason Mr. Trump won the election despite the odds.
2
One would assume she married him for his charm, compassion, kindness, wit, wisdom, humility, and boundless intellect; therefore it is shocking to read she herself is such an empty vessel - a sketch, an stencil - of what a First Lady should be. She, like her husband, has never given a thought for someone else. A year into this presidency and she still can't come up with an idea, cause, charity, or issue to rally behind.
29
She sure isn't contributing much to our national life. But of course this is a White House that hasn't hosted any cultural events.
23
This article about Melania Trump is pointless. She remains a mystery because she chooses to do nothing and expresses no emotion in the process. She knowingly entered and remained in a devil's bargain of a marriage in exchange for citizenship, money and status. Mrs. Trump seemingly cares nothing about giving back to the American people whose taxpayer dollars provide her with travel, shelter and protection. Perhaps she has little interest in anything beyond pilates and raising her son, fine, but not if you're FLOTUS.
Her feline presence on stilettos is sometimes paraded out in public when needed, but when visiting the border wearing a tasteless cheap jacket, she didn't even bother to visit parentless children held in a detention center there.
Last, I'll never forget how she publicly defended Trump's birtherism. So when she chose to open her mouth, it was to spout racist nonsense.
97
"The president’s allies say he remains concerned about her reaction whenever headlines about his extramarital behaviors crop up, and he has told friends he feels guilty about the criticism she has faced." And yet he has expressed no guilt about having had the affairs.
Melania knew what she was getting into 13 years ago. A short dossier on trump would have told any intelligent caring woman to stay away. Maybe she thought that she could change him or maybe it was the money and celebrity, who knows. It certainly wasn't his warm loving nature, his honesty, his loyalty, his admiration of women for their intelligence or contributions to our society.
So she remains the hidden first lady which is probably just as well as we are already subjected to far too much drama and dysfunction from the trump WH. Her silence is welcome.
29
I think it's important to remember her $64000 weekend solo escape to Mar-a-Lago some months ago - no sense of propriety and very self-involved and spoiled. No sympathy from me. The whole family is jacking up astronomical bills day by day, and we're feathering her gilded cage with our tax dollars. Let's not forget.
101
@LF
Wonder how much Michelle Obama's week long trip to Spain cost when she just had to console a friend after a divorce. Took up an entire floor of a hotel too.
3
@Margo Channing
Mrs. Obama paid for her own room, food, transportation; her friends did the same. Government paid for secret service security for a First Lady and daughters.
Reality, again.
1
@berman
Reality is this, from the Times 6 Aug 10:
"The Air Force jet she flew costs $11,351 per hour to operate, according to several reports, meaning a 14-hour round trip would cost nearly $160,000. The first lady would reimburse only the equivalent of first-class commercial tickets for herself and her daughter Sasha, the rest of the seats being occupied mainly by Secret Service. Officials said their friends flew on separate commercial flights."
She was and is a "birther" That tells you everything you need to know about her.
47
Melania is fair game for criticism-- not because she finds herself First Lady but because she provided clear & overt support of Trump's absurd birtherism attacks on Obama along with her recent tacit support for his nativist stance against family unification (his pejorative term being "chain migration") that's at literal odds with her sponsorship of parents' citizenship.
And not so sure her supposed countering of husband's stances (ie, tweeting her own thoughts on LaBron James or visiting child detention centers) is so straightforwardly laudable; her "humanity" (along with Ivanka's supposed softening capacity on her father) has been an enabling bulwark for those supporters uncomfortable with aspects of Trumpism, rendering it more palatable.
47
Wish the fact about first ladies not receiving a salary made it's way into this article.
5
@Charlotte In this case, it is very appropriate that she receives no salary, for 2 reasons: 1. She does nothing to earn it- no woman gets paid for decorating her home. 2. The Trumps are very rich, she certainly does not need a salary for doing nothing, and for being an embarrassment to our country.
22
@Charlotte- I've heard tell she makes a bundle off of her photos used by the media. Of course, there's many who would rather look at her nude ones online for free.
7
@Charlotte
Are you suggesting they should receive a salary? There is no official position of First Lady in the constitution or law...it is the personification of social position, solely based in spousal status. If they choose to engage in volunteer efforts and the like it is at their own discretion and does not merit taxpayer payment.
1
Ah if only her hubby could adopt just a smidgeon of her closed mouth reticence, the country and the world would be much better off. I'm glad she shies to the background as much as she can in her role, there's a certain level of dignity in that. She's not a proud American, and she has no real enthusiasm in offering anything, so why pretend. Less is more. Her husband is way more than we need to deal with as it is. Her snubby withdrawal is an honest counterpart to her husband's grossly false position of public servitude.
9
I have no sympathy for this woman. She chose to marry that clod and also chose to support his promulgation of the birther baloney that was peddled by Trump and other nut jobs for years. Be Best, Mrs. Trump- abandon ship.
33
Her #1 priority is directing her attorneys to review every word in the Pre-Nup to determine when she can get out, and how much she can take with her. She got into bed with a dog, and what did she expect when she woke up?
16
so now we find out she is going back & forth to New York to visit her society friends on taxpayer dollars each month as well as weekend trips to trump owned property that is costing millions of dollars. Why are we paying for the upkeep of the East Wing? Let the royal family live in one of their own properties & give trump an office in the Capitol Building. Can this country survive the financial drain this family is placing on it?
77
The only reason she didn’t want Donnie running for president is she didn’t want the job of First Lady. That is obvious in how she is shirking any of the responsibility of being one.
21
@Paulie Since there are none she is obviously not shirking anything. Somehow you are ignorant that it is not a job? And of course by my estimation she is doing quite well.
@Paulie She, as was said before, does not want her citizenship status looked into plus as most women who marry rich men there’s a prenup.
Leave her alone. She is aghast at finding herself in the unexpected and unwanted role of First Lady, something she never signed up for. She has no duties and we should expect nothing from her.
33
@John. She is a married woman who has had her own career and knows how to make a living. She chose to marry Mr. Trump and she is now choosing how she wants to filfull the role of First Lady. If she did not want to move to the White House, she could have made that decision too. Nothing was thrust upon her and there is no reason to feel sorry for her.
9
@John
There is a taped interview of Trump when he was engaged to Melania. He was asked about running for office and he introduced Melania from the stage as the possible future First Lady. She has known for years that this was a possibility. She has decided to do nothing. Fine. But don't play any sort of victim to Donald.
13
@John I can't leave her alone. My tax dollars pay for her security. She is a amoral like the rest of the Trump family. She is trotted out to make statements
during a crisis that are vacuous and useless. It has always been that a first lady even if they did not wish to be in the White House showed decorum and graciousness.
5
Mrs, Trump is welcome to as much privacy as she wants. Let her devote her time to her son; and let her ridiculous, nonsensical "Be Best" fade quietly away; along with her patently impotent anti cyber bullying campaign.
51
“Her priorities remain her family, her personal health and her role as first lady.”
In a country where millions of Americans are either without medical insurance or woefully under-insured, and where the leading cause of personal bankruptcy is health expenses and debt, perhaps Melania Trump might also spare a thought for the “personal health” of American families, the way Barack and Michelle Obama did.
Perhaps Melania could take up another national cause and use the slogan -“Be Well.”
209
@Susan With no official role that would be her husband's problem, and if congress would cooperate some improvement might happen. And of course those healthy people don't really need "insurance", my family had none when I was a child and it worked out fine.
2
"In June, the Slovenian-born Mrs. Trump, 48, was the only senior administration official to visit multiple detention facilities near the United States’ border with Mexico...."
With all due respect, Ms. Trump is not an "official", "senior" or otherwise. She's the president's wife. (I'm old enough to remember Jacqueline Kennedy's response to a question about what to call her: "Mrs. Kennedy" was her answer, and as an educated woman she wasn't trying to be funny.)
That Ms. Trump's "staff" is relatively small is as may be, but why someone who rarely even appears in public has (or had) a "policy director" is the real news in this article! If in this, as in so many other ways, the Trump White House could be honest, we (the taxpayers) would be better served.
73
Sorry not sorry, I have no sympathy for Melania. Remember how she chose to decorate the White House for the holidays? Only someone bereft of hope, joy, love, and any sense of a soul would choose such cold and stark tchotchkes, bobbles, and lifelessly barren white branches to celebrate the birth of Christ.
22
@Dabney L Despite Trump's "Merry Christmas" rhetoric, The United States is made up of many non-Christians and celebrating "the birth of Christ," while fine for Christians, is not necessarily what non-Christian Americans want to see in their White House.
4
She knew what she was signing up for.
If she didn't, I won't shed any tears.
If she chooses to remain quiet while her husband dismantles Western Democracy then she will be remembered for her silence, if nothing else of note.
When it comes to Melania ultimately, I don't really care. Do you?
136
We will need to come together as a country to rebuild our democracy once the grifter family leaves the White House. Their departure couldn't come too soon.
84
Maybe she loves him, but would she put up with Donald if he was just a banker or realtor making a five figure income ?
7
Well, she got what she was REALLY after.....her parents
becoming a part of her husbands feared "chain migration"!
Mission accomplished. Now show some strength and divorce the cheater!!
62
@bmajor. Some speculation is that she's now waiting for her sister's Green Card to come through, as did her parents'. Then her mission will have been accomplished. Even so, that may not be the tipping point. She wants a life of luxury; Trump wants a stunning prop as a display of his prowess. The needs of the two fit together perfectly. They may not even like, much less love, each other. Their needs are been met in a quid pro quo arrangement, and that may be all that they need.
1
The notion that the First Lady role--something foisted upon a spouse by virtue of her partner's job--is to do anything in particular is a relatively modern invention and shouldn't be the standard for Melania or others who follow.
Any time spent pondering why she isn't less (or more) supportive of her husband's agenda or her fashion choices or her relationship with his wannabe-highness is time and energy not spent on investigating (or challenging) the policies and practices of the president, the undeniable holder of much power and influence. It is not Melania's job to watch him--that responsibility belongs to Congress and our focus should be on how to encourage them to do that better.
11
No one,absolutely no one “cares”about this vain,vacuous person. This piece was very lightweight, just like the subject. Be Best is pathetic.
100
Rather pathetic, for both of them.
21
In a word, vapid. Nothing to see here. Move on. This couple deserve each other.
160
I do so miss Michelle.
581
@Jerry Totes I don't, we don't have co-presidents. Or at least we should not. She did almost nothing for our country and continues to do almost nothing. I remember all those trips around the world with her children as "official ambassador" spending millions. And that Spanish vacation as well. She spend far more official money than this administration.
3
@vulcanalex: Trump's travel costs to his various golf clubs cost the taxpayers more than $13 million in just his first year in office. So please ... drop it.
3
@vulcanalex If you are going to make such absurd claims that any Obama family member spent more "official" money (which I assume means our taxpayer dollars) than a member of the Trump family, please prove it. At least you made me laugh, particularly since there are so many Trumps gallavanting around the country and the world these days on our official money! Since you read the New York Times, I assume you also read other reliable news sources, so I have no idea where you are getting such misinformation.
3
I won’t believe anything good about Melania until she leaves him and takes Baron with her.
18
Well, she's not really his wife, so the title of First Lady is not even applicable, IMHO. She obviously loathes the man, and she's stuck in a nightmare life. Best to lay low, and divorce him once he's indicted.
15
I don’t care, do u?
Melania Trump has squandered whatever goodwill people were willing to give her. She exposed herself as a petulant, vapid, selfish extension of her vile husband, and nothing more.
63
She is just another inanimate possession that Donnie owns. Why not a article about one of his other pieces of furniture?
95
I admit I feel sorry for Melania at times. She didn't choose to enter the political spotlight and it seems everything she does is roundly criticized, fairly or not. Still, when you marry an adulterous jerk for his money, you shouldn't complain too much when things go bad.
39
ok here is whats not in the article but from a journalist client in NYC: She signed an agreement to stay with him so long as he is POTUS. She hates his guts. She is living with her parents in Virginia near Baron's school and only appears at the WH when asked. When she has to sleep there she has a separate bedroom.
65
@Nate Such an agreement would be unenforceable.
@Nate - that just makes her a miserable accomplice!
We're in an existential battle for our continued EXISTENCE and anyone not fighting against this monster is necessarily HELPING him take us all down!
NO PITY for the accomplice.
7
@Nate
Where’s the proof from this journalist regarding his assertion? With all the media coverage, her living outside the WH on a regular basis should be obvious.
Worse President ever ....
Worse First Lady ever ....
163
Melania Trump has wasted her opportunity to be best
It’s as if she really doesn’t care!
18
A lot of mean spiteful sexist comments here from people I assume consider themselves liberals
9
@Luciano
Let's hear your list of positives
23
@CJ37 I only want one, she limits her role to things not associated with policy, that is the correct role. Not what Obama tried to do.
@Luciano I think it reflects the general observation of someone who ignored, or squandered, a great opportunity. Nothing sexist about that.
12
I really don’t care. Do U?
11
The two of them are quite a pair. Trump, an idiot, ill suited for work other than reality TV or fast-food taste tester, and Melania, uninterested, detached, and anxious to get back to her lifestyle of undeserved wealth. Together they model about the most repulsive image of self-centered lives as possible. What an utter waste of time and squandered opportunity to do something - anything - for anyone other than themselves.
467
"She has faced constant questions from critics who want to know why — or how — she can remain with Mr. Trump."
I could say the same about Hillary with Bill after the Monica affair.
Let Melania be Melania. Don't compare her to Michelle, Laura, or Hillary. Wait for the full four years before commenting.
5
@nagus
God forbid we have to wait that long before they both are out of there.....
It's Baron I feel for.....in the two years I have been able to get a glimpse of him...not one smile or moment of
recognition that he was even in the vicinity has ever come from his mother his father or his step brothers and sisters. to quote his father..."Sad"
13
May I say who CARES!!! She knew what she signed up for with this man. Stop trying to make her a pitiful martyr she isn’t. She believed in birthism: she plagerizes her speeches; she expects us to pay for her separate living quarters because her husband is a callous oaf.
61
I really don't care, do you?
10
Donald is SO bad, one is TEMPTED to sympathize, empathize with Melania.
But then, one remembers her verbatim lift, copy, paste theft of Michelle Obama's speech. So blatant, only an admission would clear things....none came.
Then, the "I Really Don't Care" coat. No one is THAT dumb. She wore that message with full knowledge of it's inappropriateness.
No, Melania's got one main thing working for her and that's it: she's bad but, he's horrible.
104
Parents just got citizenship. Mission Accomplished Melania!
Just a few more years to go and you're out.
42
She responds to her husband as "the president"? That's a gobsmacker right there.
(Except, given what we know about their relationship, it isn't at all.)
4
I really don't care, do U?
42
Yawn..please. Spare us. Nicely written article, but for whom?
4
@D. Fawnings for a future interview.
4
Melania is like everyone else in this administration. You know that everything "she" puts out is crafted by someone (Stephanie Grisham), the same way we know that everyone else, especially his family, is either lying or presenting an Instagram-ready image of their own fabulous selves. I find it hard to have any empathy for her for the following reasons:
*She defiantly repeated Trump's birther claims
*"When someone hits Donald, he hits back 10x harder" spoken proudly
*The obvious plastic surgery, displaying herself & her focus on her beauty
*the jacket
*the stileto shoes
*her cribbing from Michelle
*her lying about her degree on her web page
*when she swatted away Donald's hand in Israel, I thought it was beneath her position as a representative of this country
*does she really speak 5 languages?
*she married a man whose creepiness was foreseeable
*she has gotten everything based on her appearance and she really seems lost and out of her depth, but she doesn't seem to understand that.
I could go on, but I have to get to work to pay taxes so that she can continue to live so opulantly.
249
@Robin not really a fan, but yes she does speak five languages, a multi-lingual daughter of a friend was being treated at Mt. Sinai while Melania visited. As for the five languages, being married to a Swiss who speaks four, and speaking four myself, five is not such a big deal in that part of the world. The big deal is that most Americans don't speak more than one.
10
@Aubrey Mayo
And our President can't handle one.
3
@Aubrey Mayo
I don’t believe she actually speaks 5 languages, despite what your friend’s daughter says. I’ve read otherwise. Did she quiz her or something? Being able to say a few things is not the same as speaking a language fluently. (And, I speak more than one other language fluently and can say a few things in several others but would never claim I can actually speak them.)
1
Congratulations to Maggie Haberman et al for at last getting through a Melania puff piece without once calling her "shy".
17
I read this story with the hope of finding a nugget of hope for Melania. As the Eagles sang: You can't hide your lying eyes, and your smile is thin disguise. I thought by now you'd realize, there ain't no way to hide your lying eyes!
24
“Mysterious”? Hardly that. A woman who has revealed all of her “ charms” in the “fashion modeling” shoots such as she’s done can hardly be described thusly. My guess is that she’s in way way over her head and at every turn has found herself to be mocked for plagiarizing, for lying, and for defending a known misogynist and cheat. That the “like each other” says it all. Enough.
27
I can't help liking Melania. Two positives show the grit the article speaks of--one they didn't mention, her pulling her hand away from Trump's as they followed the Macron and his wife across the tarmac in Paris. The other, her tweet acknowledging LeBron James' generosity toward children after Trump's racially bigoted criticism. Sure it's not an ideal marriage and she is a trophy wife, but she plays the role with grace and quiet charm. As to her sticking with Donald, recall that Trump is the one who so far has decided when the marriages are over. It would be another act of true grit to divorce him, but the story isn't over yet.
10
@Jim Melania is just not a good fit as America's First Lady. Period.
5
Mysterious? No. Also, strike out private and insert self-indulgent. As your First Lady, she has failed to embrace her role and has failed to engage with the American people. She likes to lunch with her friends in New York while the US taxpayers foot the bill for her protection staff to stand around and watch her do so. As Trump’s wife, she has access to more money and a more indulgent lifestyle than she ever experienced in her pre-Trump life and an assumption could be made that this is the reason she stays married to him. She does not inspire admiration and I doubt she has any self-respect. She pales in the shadow of the warmth, intelligence and drive exuded by Michelle Obama.
162
I think the story is worthy. She happens to be the closest person to the POTUS. That being said, when she acquired the role of First lady, the Turmpites were gushing about "finally a woman in the White House with class" followed by an invective referring to Michelle Obama as a particular animal found in Africa. With Trump's daily Twitter bombs, lying, attacks on everybody that doesn't agree with him, understandably not much room for Melania in the media. However, her civic involvement or social work, or lack thereof, should be known. What would the critics of Michelle Obama say if she was off visiting her child and her hairstylist in New York once a month with a full tax payer supplied Secret Service detail?!
78
@sunburst68
She's not the closest person to POTUS, Ivanka is!
19
I was very young when the media sold me the first first lady I remember she was beautiful, glamorous and a Kennedy. So we're her kids. Again as young as I was the message was clear about Lady Bird Johnson. They said she was no Kennedy. Then Pat Nixon and her two daughters Tricia and Julia. Well they said unacceptable. See a pattern here? Roslyn Carter, a hick, her daughter Amy barely tolerated. Nancy Reagan a witch. Barbra Bush hard to ignore. Hillary she ran for president. Point the press spends alot of time telling us who to love and who to hate.
5
@JoeG
And enough stupid people to listen to these pundits. Go figure.
2
"[H]er loyalty, grace, trust, elegance under fire, intellect and instincts are time tested and proven," a friend says.
Has this guy seen any of her interviews? Or the time she tried to read a children's book at a hospital? Does he remember that time she faked a college degree she doesn't have? Or plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech?
She's First Lady and she hasn't roused herself to either work with a speech therapist or an English tutor so that she speaks without a heavy accent and properly conjugates verbs. But she allegedly has a proven intellect? Is that a joke?
50
Ouch. A heavy accent? That’s petty considering The fact that she’s fluent in her native language and English too -and reportedly conversant as well in Italian -
4
I think this is a good time to remember Michelle Obama’s wise words, “When they go low, we go high”. Melania’s accent isn’t a reason to mock her. I think President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with the Clintons and Bushes, all showed a lot of grace and kindness when they included Melania at Mrs Bush’s memorial. They didn’t shun her, even though they would have had ample reason to do so. They treated her with respect and included her. Melania actually looked happy sitting next to President Obama, and in other pictures. Remember, Melania was invited, Trump wasn’t.
15
@Ann
Be Best
You know the horror movie when the realization hits that the calls are coming from in the house. Well, get out !! The tweets are coming from within the White House!
11
Weather the chaos?
Please I lost any faith in her decency after she lacked the common sense not to draw attention to herself with her bizarre inappropriate jacket visiting the children ripped from their parents.
And on that subject that she cared about the welfare of these children and she was going to make a point to ensure she has great interest in their welfare....has she bothered to visit the child that was sexually abused in our custody?
20
Never forget the Melania was a “birther.” I think that says it all.
325
What’s the mystery? She lacks depth. The only mystery is why people keep trying to find some.
410
@Jennifer Schultz Spot On!
3
The fashions and good will of the first lady are being overlooked in big way by leftist media folk. Mrs. Obama had constant fawning coverage as did her husband. None of that for the Trumps.
3
@P McGrath
lucky for her that the Press has looked elsewhere for substance
5
If she came out firmly for Planned Parenthood, that would help to offset her mealy-mouthed persona. It seems likely that this family in fact supports abortion and birth control; otherwise, there would be a million more little Trumps in this world. Have you ever seen bigger hypocrites?
35
She is not mysterious. She is vacuous.
150
@KMC. Yep, and extremely vain. Her appearance likely takes up most of her time. Gee thanks Melania for downgrading women to mere ornaments.
21
Yes, private, pretty and utterly pointless.
26
She pushed the "birther" conspiracy. She is an ally of Donald; do not think otherwise. Her anti bully campaign sums it up exactly; empty words that have no result. Ignore her. Trump is a serious threat to Democracy and America. Vote out GOP. Ray Sipe
134
I find it outrageous that us tax payers have to pay for two hotel suites, because the Trumps are incompatible
276
Mysterious? Or vacuous?
47
All I can say about her is that she's not a dog.
14
I can believe that trump feels "concerned" about Melania's reactions whenever his extramarital affairs come up, but only because he's concerned she may do more than just swat his hand away in public.
Being the judgemental person I have become in recent months, I have no sympathy for someone who sold herself. You can't expect "concern" for buyer's remorse.
15
What ever happened to her original cause to stop cyber bullying or did it look too foolish with a husband that doesn't to anything else but cyber bullying?
16
Eleanor Roosevelt had a staff of two and appeared to show up all over the world during World War Two. Melania Trump needs a "small" staff of 10 to do what? Are they all paid on the scale of Omarosa?
97
@Tony
Michelle Obama had 24 staff members. Hillary 20+.
1
Stormy Daniels would have been
We count on First Ladies to be the better angels of their husband's souls, i.e. keep them in line. What a pity Trump didn't marry Stormy Daniels! A good daily spanking might've saved the whole country.
32
@Penich Perhaps you do that, I don't allow my wife to do anything close to that and I am retired. We elected a president, not a puppet. She should have a very limited and private role in government, and whatever charity she desires to support.
There is no reason to believe that she operates at a moral level any different than her low-life husband, who she married for money. Stop trying to make a victim out of her.
284
Guess who's paying for separate hotel rooms and monthly NY trek to visit her hairdresser?
Besides, still awaiting Melania to be interviewed since becoming First Lady - seems she knows better!
22
She has the best NDA of all the White House for waiting til 2020 for her divorce.
12
Because she is silent and speaks on so few occasions. people tend to ascribe to her the qualities they want to see, as the article correctly pointed out. But when she did speak out (on her own, not through her aide in social media) on several important occasions, it was always to defend whatever latest horrible thing her husband has done: she dismissed his womanizing and vitriol as childish and not atypical of a man; she defended his attacks on his critics on social media as his habit to strike back hard & double-down; she willingly played along in his birther conspiracy. She never spoke out publicly (herself, opening her own mouth) to denounce the despicable things Trump has said and done. She is not some kind of a bleeding heart with a secret do-good agenda. Stop portraying her as such. Her silence does not make her a better person. It makes her complicit.
326
@Marianna
Bull's Eye!
15
When Ms. Trump was just a toddler The Eagles must have had a premonition about her fate, which they wrote into their hit song "Lyin' Eyes":
"City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile
A rich old man
And she won't have to worry
She'll dress up all in lace and go in style"
If there is any public figure in Washington who seems to scream for empathy, it's Melania Trump. But I just can't muster it. I can't believe she's in this for anything but the money and fame. I can't believe she loves one of the most unlovable men on the planet. I can't believe she insouciantly subjects her son to the abuse and infamy created by his father.
The Eagles had it right:
"My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things
You set it up so well, so carefully
Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things
You're still the same old girl you used to be"
No empathy, just pity.
19
She can't divorce him. He'd void her and her parents citizenship's, while the deportation papers are being drawn up.
20
Leave her alone.
10
@Mimi C. As long as we are paying for her lifestyle, we can say what we like.
41
A fake marriage between two narcissists in love with money and power. She married a serial adulterer after being in an adulterous relationship with him. It's really hard to warm up to a first lady who acts like she has a guilty conscience, especially when she's married to an amoral, mendacious and self-aggrandizing thug. As the piece points out, she married him with "her eyes wide open." Looks like a mutually beneficial business arrangement, nothing more.
56
On one hand, I do feel a little sorry for her--she did not sign up for this White House gig.
On the other hand, I do not feel sorry for her--she did sign up to be the wife of a lying con man, and she chooses to remain married one.
26
Nothing new or even interesting in this piece. So much real news happening, report that, please.
11
What isn't mysterious is that Melania obviously gave permission to those quoted here to speak to the NYT. What is also not mysterious is that that Melania wants to have it both ways: to be viewed as independent of her husband (and thus blameless for his many cruel and despicable actions), but also his close confidant, whose words are wise, and whose advice he respects.
What is least mysterious of all is that Melania has in reality refused to fully take on the role of first lady, and that her refusal is a manifestation of self-absorption and brand protection, rather than an act of principle or steely feminism.
43
@Julie Remember she either sued or threatened to sue a British tabloid because it was stated she would not be able to make money because of their reporting. It would damage her brand.
I'd have to venture a guess that Mindless might be a better descriptor.
19
Not buying any of it. If she had any integrity she would have dumped her hot mess of a husband long ago. But, she stays. And is guilty by association. She is as bad as he is. And, as such, she has to go....
13
“She is a woman of grit, never afraid to speak her mind,” Mrs. LeFrak wrote in an email.
And yet, as this article makes clear, no one seems to know the FLOTUS, especially the public. What does Melania think about her husband's racism? His separation of immigrant families and opposition to chain migration (from which her own parents just benefitted)? His misogyny (and, clearly, his infidelity)? His daily lying on Twitter?
A woman 'of grit,' one 'not afraid,' would say something. Unless, sadly, the silence Mrs. LeFrak wrote about reveals the state of the First Lady's mind.
17
"...the jacket was actually directed at anyone — both outside and inside the White House — who wanted to criticize her decision to visit the children in light of the administration’s aggressive immigration policies."
Finally a plausible explanation on the jacket! She was visiting the kidnapped immigrant children against the West wing's wishes, apparently, and suggesting people should care about the kidnapped immigrant children. After all, she was a child once and also an immigrant. And she's generally perceived as a kidnapping victim/hostage.
2
Be best, Melania.
5
It's a two person job and neither of them is doing anything good for the American people. Period.
18
She is the most inconsequential FLOTUS in American history.
She add nothing of substance and will be known as the person who plagiarize FLOTUS #44 speech. Her “I don’t care, do you” statement coat will be her legacy. In the words of her spouse “sad”.
23
@Madison
I suspect her legacy will be empty shoe boxes left in
the residency......alas
9
"Mysterious?" Hardly. A past as a PR exec in the fashion industry provided me with exposure to plenty of "pretty girls" just like Melania Trump. When a woman whose role is to look good has nothing to say, she keeps quiet, mostly to hide her enormous insecurity over lack of intellectual prowess. And that's exactly what our Commander-in-Chief wants - a mute ornament he can trot out when the occasion calls for it.
30
Thank you Barbarra, that is good advise. For the rest, just Google "Symptoms of a Narcissistic Person." Next just Google "Spouses of a Narcissistic Person. In the article is a perfect example of a Spouse living with a Narcissistic Husband. She chose chairs she liked and felt comfortable with, He replaced them.
5
Beyond the Don's racism, I suspect his hatred of Obama is partly to their loving relationship (and how the seem to enjoy each others' company ) something that money can't buy. This could also be a factor with his hatred of the Clintons as well. What sad bitter man.
There may be things in Melania's past which could be forcing her to stick it out. The little we saw of her interactions with the Obamas seems to indicate she would be well served by seeking them out for advice.
Courage is how you deal with things outside of your control. Maybe she will rise to the occasion?
5
Who wears sky-high stiletto heels to a hurricane ravaged area?
Who wears a "I really don't care do u? jacket on a trip to highlight the family separation policy?
You can talk all day long about wanting to visit the school for at-risk kids....DO IT!
Until I see different, I have to classify her as clueless.
45
@Howard Levine Stillieto heels to a hurricane ravaged zone go well with baseball caps emblazoned with "F L O T U S"
11
Rich, expensively dressed society matron with distant husband, close child, and new-citizen parents in the neighborhood.
Her life is proceeding exactly as she planned.
But she hates Trump and he's a terrible father, so the question remains. If she doesn't bail now that her parents are safe, what ties are holding her?
10
It must be hard to be the First Lady when you’re the most prominent symbol of almost everything the president is trying to destroy.
4
The only way I could begin to respect Melania would be if she left the man and moved out of the White House. Only then could she start to build an honest and real life. I feel so sorry for Barron stuck in this environment, unable to respect either parent.
14
She loathes him. It’s so apparent in her body language that one would have to be blind to miss it.
18
Nothing against Melania Trump -- but when Tom Barrack is your character witness, remember that he's the same person who connected Paul Manafort to the Trump campaign.
30
I am curious if her sister in nyc is a citizen....
If so, how so?
I thought "chain migration" (formerly known as family unification) was an inroad for all sorts of criminals!
Or is that just the case when a family member has brown skin?
31
@r mackinnon. Yes, sister is in NY. She's awaiting her Green Card papers nows.
Melania is the most fashionable and elegant first lady since Jackie Kennedy.
It is funny her style is never written about until "I don't care, DO U?", which got a top place on The Time's website. She almost always wears tailored designer clothes, but no one bothers to talk about it because she is married to Trump.
4
Jackie spent a a ridiculous amount of money on her wardrobe and also married for money (Onassis). At least Melania pays for her own clothes but it’s a little bit tacky to wear a $100k Chanel Couture dress to for a State dinner with President and Brigitte Macron. I thought that wearing a dress that cost that much showed lack of common sense and that she really doesn’t understand the average American.
4
@Scott: You can dress her up in any way you like, but you can't hide what she is. Who cares about her style? Elegant? What a joke. She's no Jackie Kennedy.
21
Clearly you don’t read the Style Section of the NYTimes. There have been plenty of articles about her fashion.
2
I am only guessing that she has the divorce papers all ready and dated for the day after Trump leaves office.
9
Under Trump administration policies, could Melania Trump's American citizenship retroactively be revoked because she worked in the US without legal authorization in the 1990s?
Could immigration officials deport her, forcibly separating her from her child?
Is that called "kompromat"?
16
The outpouring of venom at Melania is really disgusting and reveals more about American Puritanism and self-righteousness than about her. How do I know that most of those vocal condemnations come from women who, shall we say, are not as attractive as she is, or from men who, shall we say, have little chance of dating somebody like her? As Bill Maher would say, “I don’t know it for a fact but I know it’s real”. Melania Trump is beautiful, graceful and wears good clothes - which is all she is supposed to do as a former model. This is her job. She did not run for office. She has no obligation to be virtuous, loving, empathetic or display any other fake quality that Americans demand for the unlucky women who find themselves in the spotlight. By far, she is my favorite character in this insane administration. I hope when this is over she ditches her ugly husband and runs for Senate herself on the platform of making American beautiful again. I’d vote for her in a heartbeat.
142
@Mor Being a manikin is not a job. She is guilty by association. She is a socialite who could care less about anyone but herself and her child and building a financial fortune, so that she never has to work for anything. You are only enamored by her good looks and the expensive clothes - 'fake front'
11
@Mor
You can't be serious. Why don't you let her design a building for you then...you know ..with her degree in architecture.
17
@Mor: You have really sad values; you think someone is worthwhile because she "is beautiful, graceful and wears good clothes". There is a whole lot more to being a person than that. She is a failure because of her actions, not because of her looks.
16
"One person who has spent a considerable amount of time around her said Mrs. Trump was far more relaxed outside the presence of her husband than when he was around."
Wow. Every marriage is different and people are entitled to define their own personal lives. But however you interpret that statement, if it is true, that sounds like an abusive relationship to me. The most benign interpretation is that she sees her husband as her boss. Any way you look at it, it's not a healthy marriage.
7
Oh come on. This is an extremely kind effort to spin a ridiculous situation into something resembling normalcy. Melania is completely overwhelmed by the whole deal and hasn’t a clue what to do or how. Any attempt at asserting or inserting any kind of initiative about anything goes through Him and his machines and is likely distorted or squelched. This is what she signed up for and now she’s in golden handcuffs. Trying to be respectful about the pickle she’s in is an interesting take on the whole mess - but isn’t fooling anyone.
35
"One friend of the Trumps in Palm Beach, Fla., said Mrs. Trump entered the relationship with Mr. Trump with her eyes open, and has weathered 13 years of scandal-plagued marriage and a rocky transition into the White House primarily for the benefit of keeping life stable for their son."
Is this the definition of a gold-digger or not? Assuming Melania knew Trump was an inveterate sleep-about (a safe assumption given his very public, multi-decade history of adultery), what was there about him, apart from money, that made her think he would be a fine father to her child(ren). When the desire former overrides the need/requirement for the latter, the answer to my question is inescapable.
I have tried to give Ms. Trump the benefit of doubt, but the uncertainties don't have a long half-life. She knows he is a snake, yet she keeps putting him in her pocket.
34
Melania Trump goes to New York once a month "for meetings and to visit a small circle of associates, including her sister…"
This is the first I've heard of Melania having a sister in the USA. So I'm curious to know if she previously sponsored her sister to come here, as she did her parents?
If she did, isn't that the same "chain migration" that her husband constantly rails against?
111
I don't know why everyone keeps soft-pedaling it. Melania is not doing the job of the First Lady. Period. Granted, maybe this unpaid job needs to go, but to pretend that she is "private" and "mysterious" when anyone else in that role would just be called out as lazy or unpatriotic is another example of how Trump has reset our standards. It is a tremendous privilege to live in the White House and represent our country. But Melania acts like it's just a huge headache for her. Any other first lady would have been raked over the coals for shirking their duties so much.
299
@Agarre
Laura Bush and Michelle Obama... both #1 in my book!
14
@Agarre She happens to be First Lady - WHICH IS NOT A JOB. It's not a co-presidency, and she is under absolutely no obligation to do anything meaningful - nor should she be. If she wants to use the position and the influence to do something she considers personally meaningful, she's free to do so, but if she wants to stay home with Barron and eat dumplings, it's her perogative to do that. I was hoping she'd stay in NY for the duration of the presidency. We won't elect a woman, but we're really happy for them to assume some major unpaid position so we can all be critical.
1
@Agarre
Excellent point.
I will never forget how she joined her husband in publicly challenging President Obama's citizenship, this after her own American entry, the legality of her early work here and her parents' obtaining their citizenship is questionable.
This is a woman who spent 10 days in the hospital for a "routine procedure," one for which you or I would have been lucky to get two, yet she says nothing about her husband's attempt to destroy other's health care. Meanwhile, her feeble attempts to combat cyber-bullying have completely vanished.
I have no compassion, interest or curiosity in what makes this woman tick. It's clearly all about the money. She is as much an embarrassment and disgrace as a First Lady as her husband is President.
715
For those who wonder why a woman who stick with a man who treats her with such disrespect by sleeping with other women: when I discovered that my European husband was cheating on me, my European mother-in-law took me aside and quietly advised me to put up with it. "You know how men are," she said, implying that every man is equally unfaithful as the next. She went on to explain that it is normal for men to cheat, and that women need to put up with it, for the sake of the children. It is up to women to maintain the appearance of stability within the family, while the men gallivant around, doing whatever strikes their fancy. They are relieved of any personal responsibility for the well-being of their wives and children, except for bringing home the bacon (although even that doesn't always happen, either).
So Melania Trump is merely doing what any oppressed Eastern European woman would do: putting up with it, staying in the background, and overseeing her child, exactly as older generations of women have done before her.
Like my former mother-in-law, she does not understand that America is not old Europe, and that modern women here are not powerless, complicit, and silent.
41
I’m sorry for what happened to you. But please don’t paint all of Europe with one brush. Where is this former mother-in-law from? Italy? Serbia? Iceland? Belgium? Very different cultures and attitudes.
It seems obvious that Melania at this point is Trump's wife on a technicality - their marriage certificate. They apparently share no time, love or child-raising responsibilities. Word has it she signed an agreement during the primaries not to leave him during his presidency, should he win. If that contract is no more binding than Trump's non-disclosure agreements, we may be enduring a White House separation/divorce before this is all over. Depending on how many more Stormy Daniels confessions are in the wings. Pity the son.
13
Do the Trumps have a pre-nuptial agreement, or is it secret? Is Mrs. Trump subject to an NDA as part of it? Could she lose her child if she violated it?
1
Melanie seems smart. When she didn’t want to have to hold her husband’s hand for press photos, she draped the coat over her shoulders without putting arms in the sleeves. Clever.
2
@Phyllis Mazik
Do you want to know why this country is in such a mess? Because some think that designing a ploy
to avoid holding hands....."seems smart"
You jest of course.......?
7
It is very exhausting to be angry about just one more thing from the Trump family, especially when it seems so petty compared to everything else, but... How much is the American taxpayer paying for Mrs. Trump's twice a month trips to New York (with full security and Air Force Two or the inflated costs of the Trump jet) and her separate hotel suites? Do we pay security costs for her parents' travel and their two residences and for her sister? I would like to see the current total for the Trump children's business travel and security. Yes, it will be a small number compared to all the other damage (only tens or hundreds of millions), but it is hard to look away as the first family of grifters uses every trick to make money for themselves (all that free publicity for the Trump properties and the bills for the Secret Service golf carts and the expedited trademark approvals and, and...) while we pay for every step they take. I feel a little better after that tirade. Now back to the phone bank for one of the local contested congressional districts!
127
Barron must be the concern, Melania and Donald, their deeds and acts will shadow the young man with a dark cloud. I hope Melania can and will give him love.
5
We will very soon have a first spouse who is a man with an independent career he doesn't want to give up, and presumably will then be rid of talk about which designer he favors, how the family part of the White House is furnished, and what kind of boring social program he has to pretend to foist on us. Serious readers will no doubt be grateful for all the column inches spared for real news. Perhaps Mrs. Trump is starting a new paradigm for that time by distancing herself from her incredibly divisive husband and his administration; she's not the only First Spouse to not want the assignment, maybe her actions will pave the way for others to gracefully go their own path away from their political partner.
221
And … what gay president had you in mind, or do see on the horizon?
@David Godinez You know, she could at any moment she wants, stand up and say I don't want to do this, thanks anyway, but I'm refusing to be a " First Lady." In fact, that is what she did the first year. Poor little Malaria can walk away any time she wants to. And - to your argument, I heard that Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama did just a little bit beyond decorating and pretending to have interests in social programs. Just a bit.
@David Godinez Yup - nobody puts Melania in a corner. And really..."Be Best" is so elegant!
2
She married a very wealthy man and stayed married to him. Her privilege of wealth from that marriage, resulted in becoming the First Lady of the United States. Obviously not something she aspired to become. When life deals you an incredible opportunity, step up and take advantage of it, be First Lady, make a difference. But what do we get, we get a coat telling the world she doesn't care. Guess what I believe what she told us by those big bold letters on her back.
959
@Heidi
"She married a very wealthy man and stayed married to him."
She married a con man and money launderer for the mob.
Fixed that for ya!
Otherwise you're spot on. Did you see that picture of her allegedly gardening?
If she doesn't care why should we?
15
@Heidi I did too.
1
@Heidi Why anyone, including Mrs. Trump, would choose to marry someone is none of anyone else's business.That also goes to what a person gets out of a marriage. As the NYTs pointed out she was the only high level administration official who has visited the detention centers, an action that most likely was not supported by her husband. That should tell you something about her. Sometimes action speaks much louder than words.
She so often appears sad, distraught, or horrified. After she shook hands with Putin, the look on her face was as if she'd just shaken hands with the devil.
14
After reading some of these hateful comments why would she, or any celebrated person want to jump in the shark tank. I would be unhappy too if I was being shadowed by secret service everytime I wanted to go shopping. Besides, who among us doesn't have some dark secrets that would tarnish our shiny little halos.
62
@Mimi C...she jumped in with her eyes open. No need for sympathy or empathy.
@Mimi C. Dark secrets? LOL she posed for nude photos that were choices she made to do and well as live with a world class philander and only got married because she had a child. Oh, she is a icon for young women, no doubt about it.
6
@Mimi C. The Secret Service shadows her to prevent bad actors from either attacking or kidnapping Mrs. Trump. It's not something nefarious.
2
We have elevated the presidency to an absurd level, both functionally in government and in the influence they seem to have on every aspect of American life, even down to what they eat, what TV they watch, or who they think will win some stupid sporting event. But at least that office holder asked for it; their spouse did not, yet people seem to think they are fully entitled to assault those women for the "crime" of being married to their husband.
We have also put too many expectations on the First Ladies... "...which the role of first lady now demands"...demands? By what right? The position has zero official responsibility. If a First Lady wants to engage in public programs and appearances, as many have, fine (so long as they are as apolitical as possible) but the notion that there are "demands" that are virtually statutory in their intensity is ridiculous. Leave them be and respect their privacy if that's what they prefer, for that is their choice, not ours. The same goes for "why does she stay married to him" nonsense. Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, Jackie Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, etc. all had husbands who had affairs. mistresses, etc. - it's none of our business why those women put up with it.
259
@George S I guess I just prefer strong, independent women who stand up for themselves!
2
@George S
None of those presidents worked hard to dismantle democracy, spewed hatred toward countless groups of Americans, or acted like a spoiled baby. That's whom she is married to.
4
@George S - Rational thoughts. Thank you.
The title of the article should be mystery woman and no one cares.
156
@fauxnombre Agreed. A mystery is something you want to solve. There's no there, there.
25
Mrs. Trump, showcasing an anti-bullying "be best" (sic) (improper usage), while married to the biggest bully and miscreant ever to stain the carpet in the oval office, is surely one of two things:
1) profoundly tone deaf
or
2) subversive
150
Melania got her citizenship, her parent's citizenship, and some beautiful baubles. But, wow, at such a huge cost to her soul.
356
@Troutwhisperer Soul? I'm not convinced.
4
She's just the female version of her grifter husband. She was just able to barter her body to flaunt the immigration laws and marry DJT.
15
What soul?
7
I understand that these puff pieces are essential to one day getting an interview from her.
So I see you forgot to mention a couple of things
1) Through her publicist she "offered" to visit LeBron's new school, I guess hoping that some of the adulation and respect would rub off. Maybe she would leave her "I don't care do U" jacket at home, but why doesn't she take some of the family money and do her own project instead of trying to coat tail in on Le Bron's philanthropy?
2) She is a birther, and unless I missed it, has never apologized to the Obama kids for this bullying of their father and their family. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/don-lemon-melania-trump-birther_us_...
422
@alice and the Obamas have never been anything but kind and gracious to her. What class.
Oh how I miss them. The USA Governmebt is an absolute sewer under Trump. Every day a new horror. I pray it ends soon and I live in the UK, can’t imagine what it’s like living there. I will be forgoing my annual trip though until Trump has gone, my little protest.
1
Is it just me, or does this strike anyone as odd: "Her priorities remain her family, her personal health and her role as first lady."
Her personal health? Isn't that a strange thing for a person who seems to be in excellent health to elevate over being first lady? Is this a sly reference to the mental anguish inherent in being married to Trump? Or a reference to some undisclosed ailment? Or just a way of communicating that she's narcissistic too?
230
@Ann
Didn’t she spend about a week in the hospital recently? She may have health concerns we’re not aware of. Appearances can be deceiving.
5
@Ann
She does Pilates every day
And reads magazines.
I am not being snide. Those 2 activities are what she included as her interests when interviewed during the campaign
8
@Ann I noticed that too and thought it meant she spends a LOT of time doing Pilates and worrying about personal hydration for healthy skin etc. in other words,yes, herself.
14
There's nothing mysterious about a fraud. The article reports that the Trumps keep separate bedrooms, separate hotel suites. This marriage is a sham, just like the election was and this administration is. Where is the outrage that she's standing by her philandering man, like there was for HRC? Where is the media outrage over her hypocrital #BeBest campaign when she's married to the ultimate abusive tweeter? Where is the media calling her out for her racist birther support? Why isn't the NyTimes headline about her own family's "chain immigration?" The Trumps aren't public servants. Please, pack up and return to NYC where you can be as mysterious, self-absorbed, and as useless as you care to be, paying for it on your own dime.
856
@A Kentuckian
I agree with everything you said, except that we don't want or need her in NYC.
4
[[Where is the outrage that she's standing by her philandering man, like there was for HRC?]]
That was 20 years ago.
HRC is not a god.
Let it go.
@A Kentuckian
Many married couples sleep in separate bedrooms. They are not unique in this. Some married couples do this because one person snores. Another couple may do this as this is their tradition. Do please try not to be so pious and judgmental in your posting.
1
There is no mystery to this person. She is as quiet as possible because her immigrant status and that of her family is questionable. Besides that, she was not a fashion model. She overstayed her tourist visa like a lot of Europeans and not been subjected to scrutiny.
216
She's not mysterious.
I'm not trying to be rude -- she gets credit as the one Trump Family Syndicate member who was opposed to Trump running for President -- but there isn't a mystery here. She married Trump for his money and is supposed to be ensconced in a life of extreme luxury, not meeting a bunch of poor disaster victims and trying to read to sick children at hospitals.
She's not qualified to do this. There's no mystery.
703
@Ann I certainly agree. This role as First Lady has put a huge crimp in her plans.
1
A more miserable appearing "first lady" I have never seen.
Let's be clear, wearing that $39 jacket was no mistake.
499
While entitled to her privacy, her overall silence continues to contribute to the enabling of this lunacy known as the Trump Administration.
27
Be best. A national slogan of bad grammar.
552
@LT. glad I am not the only one to be bothered by this.
3
When her son becomes of age, it will be interesting to see if she sticks around.
I don't envy her position as First Lady. On a positive note, she is restrained in her tweets, unlike her husband.
5
Her sister lives in New York? Is she a citizen? A green card holder? A visitor with a visa?
194
As another reader so simply stated - "I think there are more serious issues for us to worry about than the life of Melania Trump...
70
@KLester
I agree. All of this chatter is so silly.
4
I like Melania but it is obvious that she did not sign up nor enthusiastically embraced the role as First Lady.
4
@Ane - Why do you like her?
7
Melania may be the Donald’s best deal.
3
Who cares, she is complicit and a co-conspirator
380
What exactly is the Be Best campaign accomplishing besides providing an excuse for Melania? Has it helped anyone besides her? Does anyone care what she thinks at this point? Barbie doll who wears expensive clothes. That's it.
69
I'd be interested to know the immigration status of Melania Trump's sister who, according to this article, lives near Trump Tower. Another link in the chain?
168
@Carla. Hmmm how did Melania's sister, and artist, afford a $2 million 1 bedroom apt in a Trump owned NYC building? Is she a successful artist? I have not heard of her. How do Melania's parents afford their homes and lifestyle, when she was a factory worker and he was a traveling car salesman and Communist Party leader in their home town......how do they afford all this?
1
What is the point of articles like this one? Unless one is a rabid Trump fan, I can't see what the interest is in his wife. She is a nonentity, with little influence and seemingly no agenda. It appears she has no interests outside helicoptering her son. One item in the article that seems to sum her up is that she went into her marriage with her eyes open. She knew exactly who she was marrying, and she made a bargain to be the trophy in exchange for the privileged life she wanted. Why should that elicit any sympathy or interest?
343
I always hear about what a dedicated mother she is--I believe it, but I can't help ask why, if she truly wanted to keep her child's best interest at heart, she doesn't leave a man who can't be anything but a horrible influence on him. Does she truly want her son to grow up to be like his father?
123
@L
By staying married to Donald, she can ensure that all interaction with Barron are supervised by her or her associates. If she were to divorce Donald, he would probably be able to have unsupervised visits with Barron.
By staying married to Donald, she may be able to exert more control in her son's upbringing than by being divorced.
4
@Eternal Tech Nice try, but it's all about the prenup.
@L Probably because the prenup is punitive should she choose to do so.
1
Mrs. Trump was far less enigmatic when she vociferously and repeatedly argued that Barack Obama was not a citizen of these United States. Perhaps her new role has muted her enthusiasm for such bigoted sentiments and now she really does care. Or perhaps she really doesn’t.
285
She is not a good leader, but she is aware of her husband's behavior better than anyone else, or has to put up with it more. In this sense she is an asset to all thinking Americans. As to her track record she has not performed very well.
5
"At the White House, Mrs. Trump tends to stay in the residence, where she has worked with the kitchen staff to arrange more-healthful meals for her husband — though he still prefers two scoops of ice cream for dessert. She does regular Pilates workouts and consults with the White House Historical Association on residence renovations and upkeep."
For this she needs a staff of 10?
695
@NA
yes, but what's money when it's coming out of the taxpayers' pockets?
14
@NA
and we pay for it, which wouldn't be so bad if Agent Orange paid his share of taxes.
WHERE ARE THSOE TAX RETURSN AND WHAT IS HE HIDING ?
I ma really sick of carrying this whole pack of amateurs and liars.
12
@NA-Let's also hope we taxpayers aren't paying for her wardrobe!
5
So proud of our First Mannequin !
713
@Socrates
That was my line.
10
I guess “doing things her own way” involves staying married to a man she appears to loathe living a life she does not appear to want. Maybe she’s afraid Stephen Miller will have her investigated for visa fraud, resulting in the loss of her citizenship. Presumably, her parents would lose theirs too.
She was here on a genius visa so she must have known what she was signing up for with Donald. I do not pity her one iota.
890
@Njlatelifemom - Will Melania's sister be
chain migrating?
34
@Njlatelifemom me either.
2
@Njlatelifemom: And how did her sister get here? Was that another example of her family's chain migration?
4
I don't really care. Do you?
1694
@Josephine Branco
No joke.
So Melania Trump has agreed to give an address at a "cyberbullying summit" organized by the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention in Rockville, Maryland next week.
Bet there's no question and answer segment.
9
@Josephine Branco
Right. I can care less.
1
@Josephine Branco
Thanks, after giving her a fair chance for the first year, my response was the same phrase as yours, Josephine.
Her choice of The jacket in response to family separations said it all
4
Extremely well done puff piece. I’ll add only one thing : Marry for Money, and you’ll earn every single penny. Or ruble.
Seriously.
1198
That must have been some pre-nup she signed!
And if she cares so much for Barron, why not take him “home” to New York and away from a toxic environment she loathes—can’t be doing him any good on DC with what apparently is a father who seems all but 100% absent for him.
10
@Kathy
The security would cost the tax payers and block traffic
again.
1
All First Ladies are under a magnifying glass. It's inevitable when you assume such a powerful position. Considering that Melania stole some of Michelle Obama's speech and lied about her background on her website, it's easy to view her with concern. And of course, her husband is who he is; a man who funnels all of his energy into lies, bullying and treating women as objects.
Makes it hard to respect Melania.
484
Hard to respect? No.
Impossible.
1
Sad.
178
Melania is a big girl.
She posed for photographers in her birthday suit more than once.
She was dating Donnie while he was still married to Marla.
She knows what she signed up for.
Why is anyone surprised?
1156
@Joe From Boston - Chain marriages?
6
@Joe From Boston
She also campaigned for him and humanized him. She said he was a good man. Haha, what a joke. Anyone who openly supported him deserves criticism and scorn.
4
Remaining a cipher is probably the best thing she can do. She seems unhappy, uncomfortable, and way out of her depth. She know she will be compared to Michelle Obama, a brilliant, accomplished woman with a grace and style that did not come from the clothes and shoes she wore.
It almost makes me feel sorry for her. Almost.
615
@Pat I suspect this article is a result of the meeting Trump had with NY Times editors a few weeks ago in which he complained about the "fake media" abusing his wife.
2
@Pat, well, maybe... until the jacket. Unforgivable. She has free will and could leave any time. Remember she was a birther...
8
Melania seems like she wants to be a do-gooder. At this point, that goal seems aspirational. She has built a life based primarily upon appearances - her career, her marriage, her lifestyle. If she truly wants her time as First Lady to be meaningful, she can’t keep posing in the White House garden in spotless clothes and brand new athletic shoes. If she wants to grow good deeds, she needs to do the hard work of tilling, planting, watering, fertilizing and weeding. Only then will she reap a harvest of better lives for more Americans, as well as a more fulfilling one for herself.
106
Melania, you should divorce your husband. Forget about violating prenuptial agreements. For the sake of you and your son, you should leave your husband and the White House.
83
It has always confounded me how Mrs. Trump could actually remain the president's wife, for all the obvious reasons. Marrying him in the first place, as a young woman, could have been a function of naiveté or opportunism, or perhaps both. Staying with him could be mostly a result of her wish to maintain a certain stability in her son's life, although it boggles the mind as to how life with Mr. Trump could be remotely stable.
Perhaps the most outrageous and dismaying in this article was the reporting that at a dinner in Bedminster she publicly said:
"I just want to thank the president for doing an incredible job".
This begs the question: is she in denial, ignorant, or quietly complicit? If yes to any or more of of these, it is truly tragic, and her legacy as an enabler, knowingly or not, will stand.
270
@Miranda
I feel certain that the Bedminster quote was scripted.
6
@Miranda - Just to mention, Melania was 35 when she married Trump. Not old, but not exactly an ingénue, either.
12
@PM good point. I guess I was being too generous.
I have a question for those who criticized Hillary for staying with Bill after he had affairs? Where is your criticism of Melania for staying with her adulterous husband? Is she calculating? Hillary was calculating. Is she an enabler? Hillary was an enabler. Yes, we know Trump does everything he accuses others of doing (i.e. chain-migration). How about Melania? How is it she gets by with living with a cheater and not a word of criticism. Yes, like others, I feel sorry for her, but I think she's getting free ride.
640
@JRM
There has been a lot of mocking and criticism of Mrs. Trump for being with him. But in both cases, her and Hillary, the details of their marriage, why they stay, etc. is no one's business. It's a shame that people think that because someone is married to an elected official they should be open to inquiry, criticism, etc., about her private life. Enough.
8
@JRM
Staying with Bill Clinton was the biggest mistake of Hillary's political life. That's why she lost the election.
1
@JRM Yeah, reading these comments I see what you mean about the free ride.
3
Let's face it, any woman who marries and stays married to a bigot, rabble rousing, pathological liar, admitted sexual predator, philanderer, de facto Russian spy, ego maniac demagogue like Trump has to have baggage at least as bad as him.
981
@Paul,
excellent comment!
9
@Paul - shopping baggage is the tie that binds
1
@Paul
Are you talking about Bill and Hillary?
There may not be much mystery there, however much you try to impute to an apparent blank slate. Occam's Razor would give you a mute egoist.
Garbo's most famous scene is the ending of "Queen Christina", in which she stares into the future, into exile, forever separated from her lover. Asked what she thought of while she did the scene, she replied "Nothing."
161
Dear Mr. Paradis:
A minor correction well documented from history, which you describe in reverse: Miss Greta Garbo, when about to face one of the most memorable scenes in the history of cinema never spoke about the details about this moment---in fact, she never spoke to the press (or anyone, except perhaps the most intimate of friends) of whatever she did when acting. The actual story is that she sought guidance from her director (Mamoulian, I believe) on what to think about when facing the unknown ahead of her, which is the ending of the film, yes. He answered "Do not think about anything---make your mind a blank slate for people to think whatever they will". Alas, that was impossible since her magnificent face conjures a sadness and melancholy that shakes you to the core.
As for Melania, all of us are mysteries, not only to strangers but perhaps tragically to ourselves as well...
In regards to Melania Trump, I believe her jacket said it all “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?”
430
Melanie Trump walks a tightrope as many women do. Hillary and Bill, the Kennedy’s, Mrs. Petraeus, the list goes on. Trump like many powerful and domineering men is the same if not more so behind closed doors. Leave the First Lady her privacy.
31
@Barbarra Had Melania stated at the outset: "I never sought this role, I am not going to play the game", I could understand and respect that. But, please, don't spout nonsense like " #BeBest" and support your vile husband and expect to stay above the fray. Can't have it both ways.
25