During her time in the White House, Melania Trump was criticized about everything from
her clothing to Christmas decorations. Though some of those attacks were unfair,
the former first lady probably wishes she could make these cringeworthy moments go away.
Living in a proverbial fishbowl can't be easy. But when you're the first lady of the United States,
having your every move scrutinized comes with the job description. Even so,
the glare of the spotlight can be harsh and take a toll, especially when it's
not always flattering. The Trumps weren't strangers to controversy while in office,
and never more so than in the days following the 2020 election.
"We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election."
While former President Donald Trump publicly disputed the result, his wife, Melania Trump,
seemed ready and willing to return to her former life.
Unbeknown to her husband, the former first lady was already quietly packing
in preparation for their January 2021 exit from Pennsylvania Avenue.
And although the former president dug in his heels and fought to stay in office,
a White House official confirmed to CNN that Melania was not "sad to be leaving."
In a video clip from The Guardian, you can see that the former first lady was
eager to move on. After leaving D.C. and landing at the Palm Beach airport,
she quickly walked to a waiting car without looking back at her husband, who was courting
photographers. Clearly, she was ready to get home and put the past four years behind her.
Former President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were all
smiles at Game 5 of the 2019 World Series as they waved to the noisy crowd. But the
president's grin quickly turned into a more dour expression as he realized
that the crowd was booing him. Amid chants of "Lock him up," President Trump became
visibly unhappy, while his wife appeared to struggle to maintain her composure.
In the clip, the first lady doesn't seem too disturbed by the crowd's less-than-warm
reception. In fact, she appears to be trying unsuccessfully to stifle a smile,
leading some to wonder if she was delighting in her husband's public embarrassment.
As the third wife of Donald Trump, it couldn't have come as a huge shock to Melania that monogamy
might not have been her husband's strong suit. She admitted to Barbara Walters in
a 2015 ABC News interview that when she met her future husband, he asked for her number
while he was on a date with another woman. She also acknowledged this about her future husband:
"He was known as kind of a ladies' man."
And while she may have chosen to overlook those red flags,
the former first lady couldn't ignore the multiple women who claimed to have been victims of Trump's
unwanted advances — or the highly publicized hush money payment he made to an adult film
star. She also couldn't seem to care less. In an interview with ABC News, the first
lady seemed undisturbed about her husband's supposed extramarital activities, saying,
"It is not concern and focus of mine."
She took it a step further, telling ABC News that the women accusing her husband
of sexual misconduct had better be able to show "really hard evidence," adding,
"You cannot just say to somebody [...] 'I was sexually assaulted'
or 'You did that to me.' Because sometimes the media goes too far,
and the way they portray some stories, it's not correct. It's not right."
It's not uncommon for the remaining first ladies and former presidents to gather for
the funerals of one of their own. However, some found Melania's presence at former first
lady Rosalynn Carter's memorial service a bit odd. Not because of anything she did or said,
but because of disparaging comments President Trump had made about the Carters over the years.
"He's like the forgotten president. And I
understand why they say that — he was not a good president."
One of the most insensitive occurred at a rally in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the day after Mrs. Carter
was admitted to hospice. In a clip shared by Des Moines Register, President Trump said,
"And the happiest person anywhere in this country right now is Jimmy Carter
because his administration looked brilliant compared to these clowns."
In light of her husband's rudeness, Melania was wise to have attended the service alone. However,
some questioned why she attended at all. The Carter family insisted that
it was Rosalynn Carter's decision to include her.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Rosalynn's son, Chip, said,
"My mother was a gracious person and she would treat everybody with respect,
including a former first lady."
At the end of the day, however, this was a no-win situation for Melania,
who would've been as criticized for not attending as she was for showing up.
First, there were the bizarre Christmas decorations that included weirdly lit
white branches one year, and deep red trees the next. Then,
there was a recording from July of 2018 in which the First Lady could be heard asking,
"You know, who gives a f--- about Christmas stuff?"
Now, it seems that the Grinch who stole the White House Christmas is determined
to convince people that she does indeed care about the holiday. In a move that's
even stranger than that White House holiday decor, Melania launched the
"American Christmas Collection" line of festive, handcrafted ornaments.
Each ornament is available through USA Memorabilia and comes with her signature
and a redeemable NFT. While this may seem like an odd side hustle for the former model,
one could argue that it's designed to give her Scrooge image a makeover. Ever since her comments
regarding Christmas were released, Melania has been defending herself, saying that her
comments were taken out of context. She said in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News,
"Christmas is an important time for me, my family, and the American people,
and my devotion to the holiday is personal and profoundly serious."
A portion of the ornament sales helps to fund scholarships for children in
the foster care system. Melania told Fox News,
"Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, celebrated with our families
and loved ones. This holiday will be a season filled with hope and inspiration."