Every Time Melania Trump Seemed to Publicly Contradict Her Husband
The role of First Lady is one that’s evolved over time and takes a different tone with each new family assuming residence in the White House. Often, the wife of the president is expected to be a quiet supporter who champions less overtly political platforms during her time in the White House—like Laura Bush’s focus on literacy or Michelle Obama’s efforts to improve children’s fitness and diet. Of course, one notable exception is Hillary Rodham Clinton, who took on policy efforts like healthcare during her husband Bill’s two-term presidency. And she took a lot of heat in the press because of it.
“From the inauguration of the very first president in 1789, Americans have paid a lot of attention to the president’s wife—how she dressed, entertained, spoke out on issues, etc,” Betty Boyd Caroli, author of Lady Bird and Lyndon: The Hidden Story of a Marriage that Made a President, tells Glamour. “Of course, the Constitution makes no mention of an official role for the presidential spouse, and each one has made her own decisions about how big a role she would take.”
The Trump presidency is unprecedented in countless ways, not least of which is Melania Trump’s role in the administration. Earlier this year, after some criticism of its delay, she unveiled Be Best, her first official initiative as First Lady. “There are too many critical issues facing children today. So the three main pillars of ‘Be Best’ will include well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse,” she announced from the White House Rose Garden on May 7. For anyone else, the platform would’ve been innocuous enough, but critics citing her husband’s own propensity to attack his detractors on Twitter were quick to comment.
But, for all the conversation about the First Lady’s behavior, her absence and even the statements she makes with her wardrobe, it’s clear her role is proving to break tradition in an entirely different way. Unlike the First Ladies before her, she has publicly appeared to contradict Donald Trump in ways that are confounding to both the political media and the public at large. From the most recent incident around NBA star Lebron James to her own Be Best platform, it’s hard to discern whether this is a good cop/bad cop strategy or just Melania expressing her world views, POTUS’ opinion be damned.
We may never know exactly why this is happening, but we do know it’s something different than what the country has witnessed during past terms.
“Since the 1960s, all [First Ladies] campaigned extensively for their husbands, named a large and competent staff to assist in the White House, took on a project to boost the administration’s legacy, and—except for Pat Nixon—wrote a book about their White House years after they left,” says Boyd Caroli. “Melania Trump, perhaps because of her upbringing in a very different political system, seems to see the job differently.”
Here, we’re keeping track of every time FLOTUS seems to contradict or deflect from her very vocal husband.