I don’t feel, just in general, like I should have to remind people that Melania Trump is not an elected official. As much as it disappoints me that nearly a quarter of Americans voted for Donald Trump for president, I think I would be twice as disappointed if people had elected her to some federal position.
The number of people I want working for me who shamelessly grift with worthless trinkets is, as always, exactly zero. But throw in lying about how many languages you speak, hating Christmas, and staying with a man who cheated on you while you were pregnant with his baby, and that number gets impossibly smaller.
But for some reason, during this go-round with Trump in the White House, Melania seems to think she has a position more official than that of First Lady. Why else would she publicly grouse about the lack of Democrats at an informal meeting about an upcoming bill?
The bill that’s winnowing through the halls of Congress right now is the Take it Down Act, a law that would criminalize sharing photos online of an intimate nature that were taken or posted without the subject’s consent. Often called “revenge porn,” it’s something that happens more than anyone would like to think.
Mrs. Trump admonished the Democratic Party, it seems, in general for not attending, although Congressman Ro Khanna was in attendance. She told the roundtable, “I was heartened to learn that Senator Cruz and Senator Klobuchar unified to prioritize this fundamental matter, but I must admit, however, I expected to see more Democrat leaders here today to address this serious issue. Surely, as adults we can prioritize America’s children ahead of partisan politics.”
Perhaps during the completely unnecessary meeting she planned to discuss whether the law would apply to simply displaying nude photos publicly without the subject’s consent, rather than posting them online. Then we’d know whether or not we might see future episodes like what we saw when Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene brought naked pictures of Hunter Biden to the Floor of the House of Representatives.
The problem with Melania’s attention-seeking appearance in support of the bill is that it comes at a time when Democrats are unlikely to give Trump much of anything he wants, even if they plan to vote on this bipartisan bill in the affirmative in the end. Showing up to an unnecessary meeting just to make Melania look good would paint them as doing the president a favor, and they’re in no mood to grant Trump favors.
Even Senator Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, wasn’t at the meeting. That’s how utterly pointless this roundtable was. And Melania still managed to thank her for her support, while trying to trash other Democrats for failing to show up.
It seems likely to pass in whatever its final form turns out to be. Klobuchar, in marking her sponsorship of the bill, told reporters “We must provide victims of online abuse with legal protections when intimate images are shared without their consent, especially now that deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse.”
Kind of seems like a no-brainer.
Don’t worry about Melania. I’m very sure the Trumps will find a way to make her sound like a hero who stood fast in the face of all the Democrats who voted for the bill she wanted passed, but didn’t show up for her little meeting beforehand.