Kate Anderson Brower, in a CNN blog post from December 15, 2018, writes of First Lady Melania Trump, “that she doesn’t understand what it means to be First Lady.” The hate-filled column addresses an interview Mrs. Trump did with Sean Hannity of Fox News. When asked about the most difficult part of her role, she replied with how “opportunists who are using my name” are the hardest part of being First Lady. In the interview, she would also assert “the biggest challenge she faces as first Lady is from comedians to journalists to performers, book writers.”
I understand what the First Lady is saying to Hannity. The media has never had more contempt for a first couple than they do for Donald and Melania Trump. The press has attacked her for her choice of shoes, jacket and Christmas decorations. A “comedian” has ridiculed her for her accent and a New York Times reporter once called her a “hooker.”
The Washington Times, in an April 15, 2018 column, cites New York Post media analyst Alexandra Steigrad, who has parsed coverage of the first lady since Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Here is what she found.
“During her tenure as First Lady, Melania has only graced one magazine cover — Vanity Fair Mexico — in February 2017. At the time, the cover caused a commotion due to the president’s insistence that Mexico pay for a border wall, something that has yet to come to fruition,” Ms. Steigrad writes.
Contrast that to the media’s “darling” first lady, Michelle Obama. The Washington Times continues, “Michelle Obama when she served as First Lady from 2009 to 2017, appeared on at least 30 U.S. magazine covers, three of which were Vogue. She also appeared twice on the covers of Essence magazine, Time magazine, More magazine and Glamour magazine. Other covers included Redbook, InStyle, and Radar,” Ms. Steigrad said.
This glaring discrepancy is clearly a result of the media’s hate for anything “Trump.” It is astonishing, then, that her predecessor would choose to join in the attack. In a November 10, 2018 article by Dan Falvey in the UK Express, Mrs. Obama took a shot at Mrs. Trump. “In a rare broadcast interview on her tour of Africa, Melania claimed she faces an onslaught of unfair criticism. However, Mrs. Obama has criticized her comments during an interview to promote her upcoming book. The former First Lady said her successor should stop complaining.”
These attacks are vile, condescending and arrogant. They are also devoid of fact. In a reply to the haughty CNN attack piece, Mrs. Trump’s spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, wrote a blistering dissent. Ms. Grisham begins her response with this simple statement of fact. “But the media consistently ignores the first lady’s work on behalf of the people of this country, and children in particular, in favor of more trivial matters.”
She is exactly right. The media ignores what Mrs. Trump does on behalf of the American people (just as it ignores what President Trump does on behalf of the American people) to perpetuate misleading, hateful attacks.
In just the last two weeks Ms. Grisham notes, Mrs. Trump has participated in a Toys for Tots toy drive, visited service members and families from three different branches of the military, in addition to her time with patients at Children’s National Hospital. In her defense, Ms. Grisham continues, that during her time as First Lady, Mrs. Trump has visited several hospitals, both at home and abroad, and visited with children in immigration facilities in Texas and Arizona. In the wake of the hurricanes that devastated Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico, she traveled to the affected areas to support recovery efforts.
The evidence indicates that Melania Trump has done an outstanding job as the First Lady of our country. I think the evidence would say the same about her husband as our president. Let’s be clear, though, the media, the elites, and the Democrats not only oppose the Trump’s, they hate them.
On December 18, 2018, the President and First Lady revealed their Christmas portrait. It is a beautiful painting of our 45th President and his wife. It took no time at all for Twitter to attack the first couple. The Twitter trolls attacked the First Lady’s appearance and questioned whether she lived in the White House. Can you imagine the outcry had Michelle Obama had been similarly attacked?
Hate will continue to motivate the left and the media to attack. They will not heed the words of the angels who spoke of “Peace on earth, good will to men.” That’s not how the media and the Democrats operate. We on the right must stand up for what is right. I will stand behind a lady who says, “I do what I think is right, I know I will get the criticism from the public or from the media, but I will do what is right and what I feel is right for the country and for the people.”
