A word about Melania Trump.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I don’t know anything about her past what I’ve read during the campaign and what I’ve seen in the last few weeks. I do know that I stood no more than 30 feet away from her and The Donald as they walked on Pennsylvania Avenue during the Inaugural Parade last Friday afternoon. ( They spent a wicked small amount of time out of the motorcade.) She looked utterly miserable.

Here’s what I want to talk about. Feminists, and for that matter all people with a conscience, detest victim-blaming. Relentlessly deriding and attacking ( even verbally or through social media ) someone who is being victimized is roundly vilified.

In my IMHO, Mrs. Trump is in a position she did not want to find herself in with a person she seems to have zero connection to. I certainly understand being shy or overwhelmed by the situation. While nobody can truly know, I’m wondering if she’s not shy or overwhelmed as much as she is profoundly frightened of the pickle she’s in.

She’s the woman The Donald chose to cheat on his second wife with. She’s had some public comments about life with The Donald.

I more than pity her. I wonder if she’s the victim who is SO MUCH in plain sight that nobody near her, nobody watching her, nobody aware of her circumstance is going to say a word to defend her.

And no, as much as I hold The Donald in utter contempt, this isn’t a bit of satirical writing. I’m quite serious in this O.P. Who would dare stand up for her?

2

I just saw this video and it makes me wonder. It’s not the first time I’ve had a tingle of something not right with those two.

3

eta: vid already posted. Chilling.

4

She did little campaigning. I get the impression Melania prefers staying out of the limelight.

Being married into that family must be difficult. They are all highly competitive and driven people. Marrying a Trump must be like marrying a Kennedy in the 1960’s. It’s not all Camelot and champagne.

5

Follow a couple of links, and you get to this article from Jezebel that compiles several clips of Melania looking at Trump like Princess Leia looks at Jabba the Hutt.

6

I think there’s a reason her marriage to him has lasted as long as it has, and that is because she is pliable to him, she’s a perfect little paper doll with no personality and really no will of her own. She’s certainly no Ivana.

They don’t seem to have a real partnership, like a healthy power couple marriage should be. It’s obvious she hasn’t been consulted about any of this.

I have had my moments of feeling sorry for her, you know the whole bird in a gilded cage thing…but then, I am confused about HOW & where to exactly direct my sympathy for her. She got what she signed on for. By all indications, she wanted to be a kept woman trophy wife, and that’s exactly what she has been. She’s had a comfy cushy life for over a decade, and during that time, she doesn’t seem to have done a whole lot to develop herself intellectually or be involved in any pet projects or charities. She’s not sat on any prominent committees. She’s not educated herself. She’s had a jewelry line. That’s just a rich woman’s trifle. She doesn’t seem to have done a whole lot, other than sit at the top of Trump Tower. Apparently, she hasn’t even redecorated the place.

She has ticked off all the marks in trophy wife playbook: 1. First and foremost, pop out a little dividend. 2. Keep your figure. 3. Get plastic surgery. 4. Don’t have too much of an opinion about anything.

So should I feel sorry for her because there she was, living her nice little vapid life, happy to put up with whatever fuckery The Donald (a name trademarked by Ivana, btw) slings her way in order to keep that life, and now she has been thrust into an extremely public role, she never wanted or courted? Should I feel bad that she has some big shoes to fill left behind by previous First Ladies? I can’t decide.

Is her supposed anti-bullying platform a clue? Did she even come up with that herself?

I kinda feel more sorry for us, actually. We have this woman as First Lady who seems so directionless and clueless. I can’t imagine her running the East Wing and managing a staff of more than a dozen. She doesn’t even appear to be a very accomplished hostess.

I don’t think she’s bad person, she’s just ill-fitted for a public role and looked, to me, on Friday as comfortable as a cat at the dog pound. Does she even have any friends to give her support? And who are they?

The country expects more from a First Lady, and we aren’t getting much substance with her. For sure, she is there against her will, but what has she really done with all her resources, other than be an obedient little piece of Arm Candy? Who’s to say that wasn’t her dream in life? I am not so sure if it is because he hasn’t let her do or be anything else, or if she was perfectly satisfied with it all.

7

I don’t think any President has ever been divorced while in office, but has any President ever divorced after leaving office?

I agree with the other posts here - she seems like just another hired hand with a specific role to play.

8

At the Women’s March there were signs saying Free Melania! and Melania! Blink twice if you want us to rescue you!

I think she’s a step down from a trophy wife, more on the order of trophy sex slave. Trump’s got one classic abuser personality.There’s not even a veneer over it. I doubt she could get free of him if she tried.

9

I can never keep track of the ex’s , the daughters and the currents. Who are we talkin’ about? (Willis)

10

I’m absolutely sure that he has threatened her with seven kinds of revenge if she makes any attempt to get out of the devil’s bargain she’s made. Not to mention the legal gag orders she’s been made to sign.

She’s easy to despise but I feel a lot of pity for her. He’s an extremely hateful human being, and no matter what else you might imagine, it’s obvious there is no love between them whatsoever.

11

On the one hand, she’s clearly miserable. And who wouldn’t be, she’s married to Donald Trump.

On the other hand, he was Donald Trump when she married him, and she knew he was Donald Trump, so she knew what she was getting herself into.

On the other other hand, she couldn’t have known it would be this bad, because how could she?

She cynically married an odious billionaire. That is her crime, it is also her punishment.

12

With maybe the exception of Hillary Clinton I’m not sure ANY President’s wife ever wanted to be First Lady. And I think Hillary might just have accepted it as a career move.

Pat Nixon never looked at ease in public. Mamie Eisenhower was rumored to drink heavily, Betty Ford admitted she was using both pills and alcohol when she was First Lady.

I have nothing but sympathy for anyone who was Mrs. trump, but especially for Melania.

13

The current one. Barron is the youngest son.

14

So being a gold-digger isn’t all it should be? Hard to find pity for her.

15

And this isn’t the role she was hired for…

16

Despite her gold-diggerishness, I do thank that that woman is utterly miserable, and I feel a little bad for her.

17

I think she married him for a specific reason, and I think she was happy keeping her end of the bargain.

Then circumstances changed, and she is stuck in a hell she didn’t sign up for. Yes, her staff will find her a cause and help her set up school visits and whatever else she needs to make it work. She will have no problem dressing well and looking pretty at state functions. She is charming and polite, I’m sure, because that goes along with the whole trophy wife. It looks like Ivanka will take up a share of the heavy lifting.

But none of this helps when she thought her life would be taking care of Barron, smiling in public at Donald, and being a lady who lunches. I feel sorry for her, too. like Garbo, she just wants to be let alone, but it’s not going to happen.

18

The year is 2017. This isn’t medieval times where a wife is a man’s property. If Melania want’s out, she can get out and leave. Whether she can keep her wealth and lifestyle is a different story, but I’m not going to shed tears about Melania no longer being able to afford Hermès hats.

After Trump’s two divorces, I’m going to assume there is a pretty air-tight prenup in place between him and Melania. But if Melania were smart she could threaten to divorce him while he was in office and get substantial changes made to the prenup.

19

Trump’s behavior throughout the entire election was that of an abuser. He attacks people, then attempts to gaslight them into believing otherwise.

He does this in his business deals, attacking people and rewriting history about what he said or did.

I find it hard to believe that he’s never done with with Melania. His kids, maybe, if he basically let someone else raise them. But he does actually spend time with Melania.

That said, the American outward display of happiness is often not practiced in other countries. I don’t know whether this is true in Slovenia.

Edit: I presume Lakai is not assuming abuse, as abused women often cannot just get up and leave.

20

If she fears retribution, NOW would be the best time for her to leave. Because what would Donnie do at this point in the game?