What Melania Trump Does

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

This Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump paid a surprise visit to a Microsoft event with teenagers in Washington DC in which she advocated acting with "responsibility" on social media, a message that is part of her Be Best campaign, which among Things drives "positive behaviors" in the digital world to set a good example for children.

In addition to drawing attention to his message due to the contrast it generates with the tone and vocabulary that President Donald Trump uses on Twitter, the visit also raised questions about what the current first lady dedicates her time to, who has chosen to maintain a profile low in relation to the vast majority of its predecessors.

From the outset, it should be explained that constitutionally the first lady has no role and responsibility, as does the office of president. That is, the law does not require the first lady to lift a finger, nor does it give her an official role in the administration of her husband or in the operation of the government.

The history

Of course, that does not mean that the role of the first lady has not been gaining relevance since Martha Washington assumed it. According to the White House History Association, during the first century of the White House's existence, the president's wife limited herself to taking care of the domestic affairs of the presidential mansion and serving as hostess at the official galas that were held there, tasks that are still in your care today.

With the arrival of the 20th century, the role of first lady became more visible, but it was not until the arrival of Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House at the hands of her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that she became an active part of the administration policy and acquired the modern profile that is now known.

Eleanor Roosevelt gave press conferences - even for women only - and made speeches in favor of her husband's policies, such as the famous New Deal program, in addition to writing columns denouncing, among other things, social inequalities, discrimination minority or prejudice against women.

Although her successors did not all adopt that profile of a public figure, from then on it was expected that the role of the first lady would not be limited to the domestic sphere of the White House and progressively each new occupant of the position was adopting "causes" for the who advocate from her prominent position as the president's partner.

Thus, for example, Jacqueline Kennedy was an advocate for the arts, Roselyn Carter advocated for mental health, or Barbara Bush promoted reading among children and the fight against AIDS.

Who also advocated for various causes, such as the families of members of the armed forces or healthy eating, was Michelle Obama, who like Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the greatest advocates of White House policies and played a crucial role in electoral campaigns of his better half.

Low profile

This is one of the biggest contrasts with her predecessor Melania Trump, who has constantly remained in the background and has avoided getting involved - at least publicly - in her husband's administration, beyond expressing general support from time to time. to its management or to accompany it in acts and official visits.

According to the White House website, the first lady is "first and foremost [her son Barron's] mother and wife", which does not mean that she does not focus her work as first lady on issues related to childhood. She cites as one of her main data her ability to show "love and compassion" that she has shown with her visits to schools and children's hospitals.

"We are in the 21st century. I'll be myself,”the 48-year-old Slovakian former model told CNN journalist Anderson Cooper during the presidential campaign, when asked about her role in the White House. "I will be different from other first ladies. I will help the woman. I will help the children. They are our future."

For now, the only initiative that the first lady has launched is the aforementioned Be Best campaign, which launched in May, and in which the visit to the Microsoft event this Thursday was framed. Its three pillars, according to the White House, are the promotion of the social and emotional well-being of children; educate them about the good and the bad of social networks; and fight against the country's epidemic of opiate addiction.

To help her in her tasks and functions, she has her own office where 12 people work, a smaller number compared to the close to 25 that Michelle Obama or Laura Bush had, for example, in addition to the staff of the presidential mansion that is in charge of housework.

Meetings, meetings

When she's not at the Trump residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where she often goes to while the President stays in the White House, the First Lady has more or less a daily routine, according to what they have published. various means.

More now that he has already launched his own initiative, his day should go together. "Meetings, meetings and more meetings," he said in a tweet earlier this year.

You exercise every day, but lightly, no hours sweating on the treadmill. She likes a smoothie or oatmeal for breakfast, as well as eating at least seven fruits a day. Her priority is her 12-year-old son, who she helps with homework and cares for personally, since in an interview she assured that she does not like having too many babysitters because you never end up seeing your children.

By the way, that the first lady is an unpaid position. It seems that being married to the President is enough reward.