AIBU to think Melania Trump is quite impressive, in a way?

[Defenbaker]

It can't be easy being married to a man like Donald Trump, and it can't be easy being in the public eye so much, but Melania Trump seems to take it all in her stride.
She is always immaculate in her appearance, and always looks so poised and calm, that I can't help being a bit impressed by the way she handles her role.

I realise she's probably had work done, and maybe she's a slave to botox, but I think she is quite striking and beautiful. Just one thing though - I wish she'd stop wearing the stupidly high heels - all her shoes seems to have 6inch heels and sometimes she looks a bit unsteady, especially when negotiating steps.

I'm not keen on her husband, but AIBU to think MT is doing a good job of being First Lady?

Nothing to do with her? Really? Her every choice supports it. She visited the detained children with a jacket emblazoned with it ‘I don’t care’ across the back.

To say it’s not her fault is ridiculous. Every day she chooses that life, that man, those politics.

I don't fully understand why the American's have the system they do - it seems problematic. That said, there seems to be no perfect system anywhere.

Is 3 million more votes than Trump that many, given the population of the USA? Since she only had to be better than Trump, 3 million doesn't sound that impressive to me.

To the PP ' if Brigitte wasn't French people would be all over her'
Believe me, the French are taking the piss.
Massively.
Being French is no excuse for being a sex pest.

that the US public preferred Trump

You seem to ignore the well known taunt that he didn't win the "public vote", only the electoral college.
So, that's not true at all. I.e. a blatant lie.

Is 3 million more votes than Trump that many, given the population of the USA? Since she only had to be better than Trump, 3 million doesn't sound that impressive to me.

It's more impressive than having less 3 million votes than your opponent.

She still failed to convince the people who mattered that she would be a better bet than Trump. That ought to have been easy for her. That she failed to do this is a damning indictment.
The electoral college system seems odd to me. But that's the system they have - it wasn't changed by Bill Clinton or Obama or any of the president's who went before, so it must have some merit and HC had to win according to that system. If she couldn't do that against Trump, I do think it reflects badly on her.

Sometimes I wonder why the world is in the state it's in then I read the op's reasoning for how someone mediocre/awful is 'impressive' and then I understand

If she couldn't do that against Trump, I do think it reflects badly on her.

There was also the tiny issue of the Russian interference and fake news.

Yes, they were complacent because she was ahead of the polls most of the time and she would have won were it not for the email "scandal" at the last minute.
There's also the tiny detail of voter exclusion, which is an interesting phenomenon in the US.

IMO, though, that she failed to win reflects more on the US voters and their political system than herself. Many people would rather vote for a vacuous celebrity.

I think that scandal was quite significant.
It does a disservice to the US population, which is huge and diverse, to think that voting for a vacuous celebrity was more important to them than any of the more pressing issues facing them

So people who live in certain states 'matter' more than others, Aderyn???

Every time I see her I admire the First Lady for ever kissing that strange pursed up dogs bottom of a mouth .

Thank god there are sensible posters on here kicking back at anyone admiring Melania. I think she is revolting.

She married him for money and entry to the US. She then got her parents over and naturalised, and her sister... chain migration it's called. But now the drawbridge is being pulled up after her, as Trump is stopping it.

To start a thread praising her appearance and poise and thereby liking her is pretty shocking to me. She is no different to Trump, she was an out and out birther, she worships money, she lies (degree, 5 languages), she cares not a jot for 'the children' and all in all she's a vile person.

She can't even think up something original.. 'Be Best' my arse. It's not even proper grammar. Michelle Obama had 'Be Better' with regard to men, Melania plagiarising speeches, ideas, straplines... the lot.

She's just a clothes horse, no more no less. Plenty of botox, face lifts, new kidneys tits etc, nothing to admire whatsoever. I don't care one jot about her, she chose this life for money.

Sometimes I wonder why the world is in the state it's in then I read the op's reasoning for how someone mediocre/awful is 'impressive' and then I understand

^^ This 1000%

I like her too.

I like that she is aloof but always present.

She doesn’t feel the need to impress the public with her opinions or her warmth. She is not trying to be like Michelle or Hillary.

We need more aloofness from famous people these days.

Patroclus, I didn't invent the system. I've already said it's problematic. But that's the system they have and the one she had to work with - I'm not sure why none of the previous presidents changed it, if it's so unjust.
If she'd won, I doubt anyone would be complaining about the unfairness of the system.

She is beautiful but shit is she really only 49? I would have given her ten years on that.
But a feminist she isn't.
And as for being a good role model, words fail me that someone would even think this.
And as for those who think Brigitte Macron is any better a role model. Sheesh.
Good to know that looking pretty and groomed are such admirable qualities. Fuck the bar is low.

There's aloofness and there's vacuousness.

We need more aloofness from famous people these days

She's not royalty*, she should be relateable, doing good things, pushing initiatives, doing good. She is in a unique position that people can only dream of, and all she does is float around trying to look enigmatic. Useless, completely useless.

*Trump wants to be King so maybe that's where this comes from.

If she'd won, I doubt anyone would be complaining about the unfairness of the system.

If she had lost the popular vote, and won the election, can you imagine the tantrum by Trump and GOP?

If she had lost without Russian interference, nobody would complain.
If she had lost in the electoral college but Trump didn't go on and on about his amazing win, the story would have died.

What you cannot do is tell people that she's terrible because she didn't win the election to Trump when she actually had more votes.

I also like that she isn’t playing the role of the good president wife. It’s like she is watching her billionaire husband take on a new hobby that she annoyed with as it’s taking up so much time.

If she had lost the popular vote but won the election, no one would listen to Trump complaining (and I'm sure he would have). The attitude would be that this is the system, it's been good enough for everyone else, so live with it. If HC had turned out to be an amazing president, I think that's what the majority would have focused on. If she'd been a poor president, then I believe the circumstances of her win would have been brought up by critics.
Trump doesn't help himself, that's true. He really ought to learn when it's a good time to just be quiet.
I do think I can criticise HC - it shouldn't have been that hard to convince those who mattered that she would be a better president than DT. 3 million more votes, isn't that big a majority when you look at the size of the population in the USA.
I don't like that some people's votes are worth more than other's but that was true for both candidates.

All that said, if it can be proven that outside interference altered the result of an election, then it should be declared null and void and ought to be re run.

There's absolutely nothing to admire about her. She defends Trump constantly for his bullshit antics. It's sad that there are so many more impressive women in the world today, but people still admire women like Melania. She's just as bad as him!

Regardless of the outcome of the election - (didn't George W, another Repub, lose the popular vote?) - the actual US public, en mass, preferred Hillary.

That's the truth, regardless of the actual outcome.

3 million may not be 'that much', but the bottom line is that more actual humans wanted Hillary as president than Trump.

Thanks to the vagaries of the Electoral College, they got Trump.

To me, the US appears to be little more than a Banana Republic, with outside interference, and voter suppression absolutely rife.

Anyway, back to Melania....

I regret the title I gave to the thread, because people have inferred from it that I see MT as some sort of role model. I don’t, I just see a woman coping with a tide of public hostility, while looking immaculate and appearing completely unphased by it all. I know I could not cope with the sort of public scrutiny that she is under.

I’ve learned quite a lot about American politics from reading the comments here, so I’m glad I started the thread, despite the accusations of being a troll/shallow/racist/vacuous/having a hidden agenda. In truth, I am quite socially isolated in real life, so I like having some social interaction on this forum, which is why I joined MN. Somebody theorised that perhaps I am impressed by MT due to her height. Funnily enough, I am also tall, but I have never had the confidence to carry it off like she does. I envy her confidence, and beauty, but I don’t envy her having a husband like DT. I’m very lucky to have a decent husband who treats me like an equal, so maybe she would be envious of me, if she saw how he treats me. 😊

To those who said I’m naïve – yes, I was naïve to start a thread about a woman married to one of the most divisive public figures in the world, and to think that it wouldn't turn nasty.

I don’t think she has much (if any) influence over her husband’s policies, so I don’t blame her for the poor decisions that he’s made.

Regarding the separation of immigrant children from their parents, that was appalling, no other word for it. I think Trump was trying to deter others from considering crossing the border illegally, but it was so cruel. MT did speak out against it, but I don’t know how genuine she was in her comments. Well, I can’t know can I? Because I’ve never met her. So on the rare occasion that she speaks out about an issue, I don’t know whether she is speaking from her heart or just paying lip service to keep the public on side. I might be naïve, but I’m not stupid enough to take every word a public figure says at face value.

I’ve been accused of “protesting too much” and “aggressively defending” myself/MT, so chances are some people will think I’ve said way too much, but I think it’s fair to respond to the flak I’ve received.

She seems very nice.
Quite happy to keep a fairly low profile.
She’s certainly the prettiest & most glamorous 1st lady the White House has ever seen.