The U.S. First Lady, Melania Trump, has proven to be a private person time and again who does not appear to enjoy the spotlight the way her husband, President Donald Trump, does. Yet, being the First Lady, that too twice, comes with its own share of attention, and Melania has not been able to completely evade it despite her best efforts.
During Trump’s first term, she delayed moving to the White House, and during his second term, her absence has been visibly noticeable. However, though Melania has consciously avoided the spotlight, she has made certain political and personal moves during her time as the First Lady, which have put her at odds with several celebrities.
For instance, Hollywood actor Helen Mirren, who has openly voiced her problems with Trump and the Republican Party also slammed Melania for not doing enough. Referring to the moment when Trump and Melania arrived in Tel Aviv, and the First Lady swatted away the President’s hand, Mirren said, “You look at old Mel there, and she is one of the most powerful women in the world because she could take him down. She almost did that with the hand.”
The exact SAME DAY Melania announced her “Be Best” initiative to “teach our children the difference between right & wrong” her husband’s admin said it will separate children from their parents at the border AND will seek deep cuts to the Children’s Health Insurance Program pic.twitter.com/XNpLrd7b1s
— jordan (@JordanUhl) May 7, 2018
She then added, “I’m Eastern European, you know; [we’ve] got these dark souls.” Mirren clearly hinted at the fact that there was more that Melania could do, and yet she chose to keep her distance or remain invisible, which meant that she was ultimately agreeing to whatever her husband was doing.
Another celebrity who has a huge issue with Melania is author and media personality Dan Savage. While he did not bash her for her controversial Zara jacket or her Be Best initiative, he announced loud and clear that he hated the First Lady by literally saying the same.
As reported by Washington Blade, Savage said in his Savage Love podcast, God knows there’s enough hate in the world and I don’t want to add to the sum total, but forgive me, I have got to get this off my chest: I [expletive] hate Melania Trump.” Savage did bring in Trump but his criticism focused solely on Melania as he added, “I’m not alone in loathing Donald Trump’s third wife — she’s married to a misogynist after all. Odds are good her husband hates her too.”
He then emphasized how Melania is often sympathized with because of her looks or for the fact that she, at times, comes across as a person who is another pawn in Trump’s game. However, Savage firmly believed that it was not the case as he said, “But there are some folks on the left who not only don’t hate her, they view her as some sort of sympathetic figure. The pretty princess in the tower locked up by the orange ogre with the bad combover, a princess desperately blinking out distress signals during swearing-in ceremonies and inaugural balls.”
Savage’s comments showed how he viewed Melania as an individual and not an extension of Trump. Besides Melania’s way of being, she has also been criticized for her Be Best initiative, which aimed at dealing with online bullies and other cyber issues that the younger generation deals with.
The jacket First Lady Melania Trump wore on her way to meet detained immigrant children separated from their parents was emblazoned with the words:
“I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” pic.twitter.com/V3CB9IwzBh
— AJ+ (@ajplus) June 21, 2018
However, Trump had advised Melania against the initiative, given how he himself behaves on social media. While that did not stop the First Lady from going ahead with her mission, singer Lady Gaga proved that Trump was right in his apprehension. Referring to the initiative, Gaga said, “[Melania Trump] to say u will stand for ‘anti-bullying’ is hypocrisy. Your husband is 1 of the most notorious bullies we have ever witnessed.”
Gaga was not really wrong in her claims and while her attack was pointed mainly at Trump, she did point fingers at Melania as well because of the irony that the Be Best initiative carried. While initially the initiative was praised because of the goal it had set, eventually, people became concerned because most of the targets it had set did not bear results.
Besides the celebrities already mentioned, several others have criticized Melania over both her personal and professional choices. From her ‘I don’t care’ jacket to her Be Best initiative, the First Lady has often come under fire because of how she has been dealing with the position that she is in.
