This site has always taken some pride in covering Melania Trump more closely than other media organizations. Obviously, it wasn’t because Melania truly mattered in our everyday lives, she didn’t. We covered her because over and over again, we saw the media treat Melania with kid gloves, giving Melania a pass that they would never give another First Lady, whether Michelle Obama or Laura Bush. We are on the record in noting that both Laura and Michelle were wonderful people who took advantage of their position to make a difference.
But not Melania. Melania began with the perfect cause, cyberbullying. The cause had sooo much potential, at the exact right time. And then she never followed through. She seemed to want all the perks and attention that went with the job, but then raged whenever she was held accountable, always ready to blame the media. She mostly got away with it. Americans have a tendency to look down on immigrants. If one speaks differently or is culturally different, there is an almost unconscious tendency to interpret it as a lack of intelligence. We continually said that Melania was graded on the Melania curve.
She was far more intelligent and scheming than she let on. It would seem that the American public has finally caught up, some. Melania’s approval ratings have bottomed out, though, we’re shocked they are as high as they are.
A new CNN poll [1] found that only 42% of Americans view the first lady favorably, compared with 47% who view her unfavorably. Twelve percent of respondents did not express an opinion.
It is almost 50-50, which is stunning.
According to CNN, Melania Trump hit her highest favorability rating of 57% in May 2018 after she attended a funeral for former First Lady Barbara Bush. At the time, President Donald Trump declined to attend the funeral.
Funny enough, that was the one time that Melania appeared to do something selfless, something that didn’t necessarily directly benefit her. Equally true, it was one of the few times we saw her genuinely smile – at some small joke that Barack Obama told her.
In comparison, former First Lady Michelle Obama had a 69% favorability rating when she departed the White House in 2017.
If Thomas Jefferson came back to life right now and ran against Michell Obama, Michelle would wipe the floor with him. She might well be the most popular person in the world. But it doesn’t take a superhuman to be that popular. It just takes a real person, and a warm, genuine one.
Measured on that scale, without the Melania curve, well – Melania never stood a chance.
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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @JaosnMiciak