Melania Trump impresses overseas while husband Donald flounders
AS DONALD Trump tore down relationships with allies during his international debut, wife Melania did something different.
AS DONALD Trump tore down relationships during his international debut as United States President at last week’s disastrous G7 summitt, his wife gained new ground in her own “coming-out party”.
Just four months into Mr Trump’s Presidency, we know much about his controversial administration, but, as CNN put it, the trip was “especially telling” about Melania Trump, given we actually know quite little about the Slovenian beauty.
In fact it might have been just as telling for the President, who on-board Air Force one was reportedly overheard describing his wife as “Jackie O on steroids”.
So powerful is the First Lady’s influence on her husband, she is apparently “the best hope for White House advisers who are trying to convince President Donald Trump to tweet less”.
It’s good timing, considering Mrs Trump is finally set to move into the White House next month.
On the nine-day foreign trip, which took the Trumps to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Belgium and Italy and which ended with leaders split on climate change, Mr Trump managed to offend many of the United State’s friends, despite calling it a “home run” for the United States.
There was the time he ignored the Italian Prime Minister’s speech. And he shoved Montenegro’s Prime Minister out of the way so he can get a better spot within the pack.
The awkward handshake with French President Emmanuel Macron certainly did not help, neither did that disastrous NATO speech.
But for the Mrs Trump, 47, even a fashion fail like a veil couldn’t stand in her way.
While President Trump’s meeting with the Pope in the Apostolic Palace was a social media nightmare, a “solemn” looking Pope sprung a smile upon meeting Melania.
“What do you give him to eat? Potica?” The Pope asked Melania in a reference to a native dessert from her hometown.
A surprised Mrs. Trump replied “Potica?” Then smiled. “Yes!”
It was a simple icebreaker that saved the day. The Pope would later bless a rosary for her and send her on her way.
But that small moment in time says something about Melania; despite seeming stoic, frozen and downcast at times, Melania may well be Trump’s secret weapon.
“Often cast as a reluctant First Lady, [Melania] emerged from her husband’s long shadow and strode onto the world stage,” wrote The Telegraph.
“It finally gave an inquisitive American public a taste of what kind of First Lady she will be, where her priorities will lie, and also the best peek yet into the internal dynamic of the Trump marriage.”
Although she was seen following Mr Trump on most occasions during their nine-day trip — and that awkward hand tap — she was the “supporting player who occasionally stole the spotlight,” according to the New York Times.
“She’s already shown that although public speaking might not be something she’s entirely comfortable with just yet, the actions she does take are genuine, and a window into the kind of person she is,” Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush in the White House, told CNN.
“She clearly and very carefully selected what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go on this trip, consistent with the types of activities she’s done back at home. She’s choosing things where it is something she cares about.”
The Times is right; as soon as Mrs Trump stepped off Air Force one in Saudi Arabia, in a Stella McCartney black jumpsuit accompanied by a chunky gold belt, she made heads turn.
In fact it’s not dissimilar to how Michelle Obama wooed the international press, it’s what CNN described as a “fashion diplomacy tactic”.
That black jumpsuit was a deliberate nod to an abaya, the traditional garment worn by Muslim women in the region.
Her choice of white in Israel is considered a symbol of peace.
In Italy, she paid respect to Italian fashion designers Dolce & Gabbana. Keeping it local, even for fashion, makes a difference when you’re First Lady.
It was a strategy that paid off for Melania; she packed a bag for every single event on the nine-day trip, scouring information from State Department officials for appropriate protocols.
And as the twists and turns continued for the American president, by the end of the trip it seems he might have had to stand aside and allow her “subdued star power” to shine.
Where Trump is brash, arrogant and often downright rude, the First Lady is understated, polite and poised.
“The first lady’s several solo ventures — two to children’s hospitals, where she spent time colouring, reading books, even smiling as she took selfies with the kids, showcasing a compassionate side — were a stark juxtaposition to the forward-charging personality of her husband, who, in addition to visiting the Middle East, attended his first NATO and G-7 summits,” wrote CNN.
During a speech to American military members in Sicily, in which Melania also spoke, Mr Trump said the United States didn’t have a better representative than “our magnificent and wonderful person, our first lady, Melania.”
“The countries of the world have a large number of disagreements,” he said, “but they all agree with me on that one — that I can tell you. So everywhere we go, it’s the same old story. So, great job.”
“This trip, for me, has been very special, and I will never forget the women and children I met,” she said.
“As one of the kids at the hospital that I visit said in a picture he drew for me: We are all the same.”
Easy words for a woman who wore a floral jacket in Taormina that’s worth as much as your yearly salary; AU$69000.
Critics say it shows an out of touch First Lady given the financial troubles seen in the United States. Whether Melania will woo America’s allies as keenly as Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s is yet to be seen, but for now, there is hope.
Especially, as the New York Times put it, when your husband is Donald Trump.
— youngma@news.com.au
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