image captionWith Trump’s victory, Melania Trump will become the First Lady of the United States for the second time.Article information
- Author, Nadine Yousif
- Role, BBC News
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8 hours ago
The day after her husband’s victory, Melania Trump issued a statement to the nation via social media.
“The majority of Americans have entrusted us with this important task,” Melania said. “We will defend the core value of the Republic – freedom.” She also called on Americans to transcend ideological constraints for the good of the country.
The brief statement hinted that the former first lady might play the role differently in her second term.
When Trump was first elected president in 2016, Melania did not initially move to the White House immediately, but stayed in New York to be with her young son. Compared with the traditional setting of the first lady in the past, she sometimes seems more taciturn.
But experts say Mrs. Trump may have more ideas this time around to fill the largely undefined role of first lady in her own way.
Melania, formerly known as Melanija Knavs, is 54 years old. She was born in Slovenia and was a fashion model. Eventually, she transitioned from the glitz and glamor of Trump Tower in Manhattan to a life in the White House that was fraught with politics, despite the controversy that often accompanied one term or another.
Described by some as “mysterious,” she tends to be more low-key than previous first ladies, rarely giving speeches either at the White House or on the campaign trail.
“She’s pretty unique among modern first ladies,” said Tammy Vigil, an associate professor of communications at Boston University who has written about Michelle Obama and Melania Trump. “She does things her own way, not by the book, but she still meets the basic expectations.”
In recent years, as her husband campaigned for a second term and faced multiple legal challenges, she chose to stay out of the limelight. This summer, Melania’s absence prompted multiple news reports to ask, “Where is Melania?”
image captionMrs Trump smiled as she appeared next to her husband on election night, shortly before he was declared the winner.
But Mrs. Trump will appear on some important occasions, such as when her husband announces his re-election at the end of 2022. She also broke with tradition by attending the Republican National Convention in July, wearing a bright red Christian Dior suit but not speaking.
When she spoke, her words seemed carefully chosen to reveal her point of view. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, she delivered brief but pointed remarks at a Madison Square Garden rally that aligned with the Trump campaign’s “law and order” message and described New York City as a city plagued by rampant crime. The “Great City” in Decline.
After Trump’s first assassination attempt, she called for unity and called the perpetrator a “monster.” Later, in a rare interview with Fox News, she accused Trump’s political opponents and the media of “contributing to a toxic atmosphere” that led to the attack.
She made her pro-choice stance known in her recent memoir, putting her at odds with anti-abortion positions within the Republican Party. However, the timing of the announcement sparked speculation as her husband struggled to campaign on the issue after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
In the book, she writes about her modeling career, her admiration for her husband and their past political differences, but chose to keep the details of the controversy private. However, she has publicly supported some of Trump’s controversial positions, such as his claim that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen.”
“I was not the only one to question the results,” she writes in the book. Regarding the commotion in Congress on January 6, 2021, she said she had “no idea” what was happening at the time because she was busy with her duties.
Her former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, wrote in her memoir that Mrs. Trump refused to issue a statement condemning the violence, a move that led to Grisham’s resignation.
image copyrightReuters
image captionMrs Trump sparked controversy when she was first lady by wearing a coat that read “I really don’t care, do you?”
Some critics questioned whether she ever truly enjoyed her role as first lady. One of her biographers, former CNN reporter Kate Bennett, believes that despite her initial reluctance, she actually enjoyed the role.
“She loves all the advantages that come with being first lady and living in the White House,” Bennett told People magazine in an interview in 2021. “I think she actually enjoys it very much.”
In her memoir, Mrs. Trump wrote that she had a “strong sense of responsibility to use the first lady as a platform to do good.” She also said in a 1999 interview that if her then-boyfriend Trump ran for president, she would look to former first ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Betty Ford as role models, calling them ” Very orthodox.”
Mrs. Kennedy was a style icon dedicated to protecting the White House, while Mrs. Ford was a pioneer who actively supported abortion rights and women’s rights.
After moving to Washington, Mrs. Trump began taking on the responsibilities of first lady, such as hosting luncheons and state dinners for visiting world leaders. She also focused on the aesthetics of the White House, spearheading extensive renovations and creating elaborate Christmas decorations (a task she was secretly recorded complaining about).
Her clothing has also attracted media attention and controversy, especially after she visited an immigrant children detention center in 2018 wearing a jacket that read “I Really Don’t Care, Do You?” She said the jacket was a response to “those who criticized her and the left-wing media.”
She then became embroiled in controversy again after her former friend and senior adviser secretly recorded a conversation in which she expressed her frustration at being criticized for her husband’s immigration policies, which have affected children. Forced separation from parents.
She later revealed that she had no knowledge of the policy and had privately told Trump that she did not support it. Ultimately, the policy was repealed by the president in June 2018 amid considerable controversy.
Professor Vigil pointed out that one of the biggest challenges Melania faced in her first term was her lack of political experience and a constantly changing staff team that was equally inexperienced and sometimes disloyal. But regardless, Mrs. Trump has been quietly busy promoting child welfare and fighting cyberbullying through her “Be Best” initiative.
She also defended the initiative amid her husband’s aggressive comments on social media and told CBS in 2016expressthe way he conducts himself online gets him into trouble but also attracts more followers.
She also focuses on children affected by the drug crisis and started a foundation to raise education funds for children in foster care.
Many experts expect that work to continue upon her return to Washington, although it’s unclear whether she will be fully stationed there. Professor Vigil noted that the first lady’s role had changed years ago and that Mrs. Trump would “determine how active she is in public.”
“I think she’s going to be more conscious about making those choices.”
