Politics - News Analysis

Melania Trump Hides Away: What Does the First Lady Even Do All Day?

We really haven’t seen much of Melania Trump in 2020.

Yeah, she’s put in a few appearances. She was present for her husbands vile and evil post-impeachment trial speech, where she appeared to barely want to hug him. But other than that, she’s really been completely absent.

So we must ask…what exactly does the First Lady do all day for the American people?

Although the role of the first lady of the United States has never been codified or legally defined in the Constitution, her title is tied with serious responsibilities.

The public’s fixation on the privileges of being a first lady may have pigeonholed the role as glamorous and leisurely, but it is a far cry from the expectations she must fulfil. She is expected to perform official public and ceremonial duties both at home and abroad, as a surrogate to the president. She also serves as the modern face of the administration, championing certain social projects and causes that complement the government’s policies.

She wields tremendous prominence that she can influence and shape the opinion of the nation. As a role model, the first lady has power to lead how American women should dress, speak and carry themselves. First families were always influencers – long before social media made that a thing – whether in the political realm or in the world of fashion.

While President Donald Trump’s life is an open book (thanks, Twitter), first lady Melania Trump has chosen to stay under the radar. By maintaining a low profile, she has attracted public curiosity. People began to ask: What does she do in a day? What’s her daily routine?

The day starts early for Melania, waking up not long after 5:30am, the same time her husband rises, reports The Washington Post. The couple sleeps in separate bedrooms. Being an early bird, this allows her to accomplish all of her morning tasks and gives her enough energy for the day.

Before anything else, she readies her 13-year-old son, Barron, for school. According to Business Insider, she is a hands-on mum, preparing her son’s belongings, checking if he has done his homework and putting it in his backpack. She sees to it that she can personally attend his school events.

After doing her errands, she commits to light exercises. Given her career as a model, she keeps her body in top condition by squeezing home workouts that consist of ankle weights, Pilates and low-impact exercises. True to her word of being the most private first lady, she prefers to do her workout in the comfort of her own home.

According to Kate Bennett’s book “Free, Melania” Melania has a fitness room on the third floor of the White House.

To complete her fitness routine, she also follows a healthy diet. According to a 2016 interview with GQ, she eats seven pieces of fruit per day. She then drinks a vitamin-packed smoothie and eats oatmeal mixed with spices. But once in a while, Melania indulges in chocolate, ice cream or a diet coke.

On top of her workout, she’s also strict when it comes to her make-up. Her full beauty routine takes an hour and 15 minutes with the aid of her glam team. She’s says against cosmetic procedures like Botox, and abides by moisturizer and a Vitamin C tonic to maintain her glow.

After her routine, she attends meetings at her office in the East Wing. She discusses her initiatives such as her pledge to combat the opioid crisis and the “Be Best” campaign, which highlights the well-being of the youth and advocates against cyberbullying and drug use.

As part of her duties as first lady, she also organizes important events such as The White House Easter Egg Roll and the official state dinner hosted for French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Washington Post reports she has an excellent relationship with the 100 permanent White House household staff which includes chefs, florists and butlers. She supervises the residence and the state floor, instructing her staff to keep it private. She is a perfectionist, going through the tiniest details with everything she’s involved in.

Once in a while, she loves to relax – the greatest advice from her own mother that she has taken by heart. She said in an interview with Allure in 2011: “When you take care of yourself, you can take care of others. Also, regarding the skin and the body, to have some relaxation time. It’s good for your mind and your skin as well.” She reportedly spends her weekends at the private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, one of her husband’s most well-known properties.

But let’s compare her to past First Ladies:

Betty Ford.

Betty Ford was willing as first lady to openly discuss her experiences with psychiatric treatment. She was also a major advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and the legalization of abortion. She went through a mastectomy and spoke out about breast cancer awareness. Her candor and openness about her private life was virtually unprecedented for such a high profile public figure.

Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton was an extremely powerful first lady. She was involved in directing policy, especially in the realm of health care. She was appointed the head of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. Further, she spoke out on women’s and children’s issues. She espoused important legislation like the Adoption and Safe Families Act.

After President Clinton’s second term, Hillary Clinton became the junior senator from New York. She also ran a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2008 election and was selected to be Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential nominee of a major party. ​

Michelle Obama.

Obama was a lawyer, businesswoman, and philanthropist, who currently works primarily in the public sphere. As a First Lady, she focused on the “Let’s Move!” program to help reduce childhood obesity, a program that led to the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which allowed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set new nutritional standards for all food in schools.

Her second initiative, the “Reach Higher Initiative,” continues to provide students with the guidance and resources to go on to post-high school educations and professional careers.

Now, shall we look at what Melania Trump has accomplished?

She has her “Be Best” platform which no one can take seriously. How can Melania combat bullying when she’s married to the world’s biggest bully?

Melania claims one of her “pillars” of Be Best is the opioid crisis.

But again, how can we take her serious when her husband’s administration literally forgets to renew the opioid crisis’s designation as a public emergency?

Let’s look at what else Melania has accomplished.

First, she took her sweet time moving to the White House. I mean, I get it. Her son was in school, and she didn’t want to move and disrupt his life. But that decision cost the taxpayer dearly. Her flights alone cost the taxpayers $675,000.

In October 2018, she spent $100K at on hotels in Egypt…and didn’t even spend the night. But, she got a good photo shoot out of it!

She did the same thing in Canada, but spent even more…and again, didn’t even spend the night!

Melania fully supported Brett Kavanaugh, even though everyone knows the man is a sexual abuser.

Who can forget when Melania claimed she’s the most bullied person in the world??

How about when Melania spent taxpayer money to fly to vacation in Florida, even though her husband shut the government down?

Or how about during the Stormy Daniels fiasco when she fled to Mar-a-Lago to go the spa, again, costing the American taxpayer big bucks?

Ugh, and that jacket. “I don’t really care, do u?”

She changed the name of the White House from “The People’s House” to “The President’s House.”

Melania committed a big faux pas while attending the D-Day ceremonies in Europe.

There is even rumor that she doesn’t even live in the White House, instead living in Maryland with Barron and her parents.

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