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?

I don't actively like her, but I don't really think she deserves the vitriol. I don't agree that politicians wives should have to play a public role just because of the husband's job - that's actually quite sexist (yes, there there are a small number of high profile male political "consorts" but they don't perform this epic amount of wife work do they??).

Melania's not good at public speaking because she's not a trained lawyer (and her first language isn't English - that won't help her). Not being good at public speaking doesn't make you stupid - we don't actually know anything about her or her views as far as I know. Maybe she's not interested in politics, hardly a crime.

Other presidents clearly chose their wives specifically for the role - lawyers etc - but as I say, I see that as sexist, the assumption that in order to go into politics they need a "suitable" wife to perform part of the role for them. No, you're the politician, you do the job you're paid to do, it's irrelevant what she's doing.

I know I could not cope with the sort of public scrutiny that she is under

She has said she is the most bullied person on the planet. What bullshit.

And Michelle Obama was relentlessly bullied.

As for her seeming 'very nice' god help us. She never stopped pushing the birther stuff, that was appalling and as for sympathy for the children, I missed that bit from her.

Look at the coat. 'I really don't care, do you?' whilst off to visit 'the children' held in border patrol camps.

Melania's not good at public speaking because she's not a trained lawyer
You don't have to be a trained lawyer to be good at public speaking. I prove that point!

OP, you probably were a bit naive to start this thread but I think you have made your points well and have responded well to the nasty posters. It's a shame some posters feel the need to be so aggressive when they disagree with an OP.

Mumsnet is brutal sometimes. 😅

Most bullied person on the planet? haha
biggest 'snowflake' more like

@SourAndSnippy Thank you, I appreciate your kind comment. Perhaps you could change your name to SweetandSnippy.

AtrociousCircumstance, I completely agree, every day she chooses that man - and stays year after year, not sure what’s impressive about her, I must be missing something

I think Melania is out of her depth (as is her husband of course) and is in a living hell. But she does not whinge about it (unlike Megan) and performs the role as best she can. I respect that.

I agree with this, don't know what the fuck you're talking about OP.

As for the coat I always thought that was an obvious finger up at Trump.

Is standing looking pretty and saying nothing really enough to earn respect? Is that what women should aspire to? And as for the comment that the children in concentration camps 'are nothing to do with her?' That wasn't an excuse in Nazi Germany and it isn't an excuse now. I might be impressed by her if she was kicking up a massive stink about it.

She's earning her Botox money the hard way, but that was her own decision.

Trump jokes about his wife's well-known lack of affection for him:

www.businessinsider.de/trump-jokes-melania-wouldnt-cry-if-shot-like-steve-scalise-2019-10?r=US&IR=T

Trump says after Rep. Steve Scalise got shot his wife 'cried her eyes out,'
joking 'not many wives would react that way ... I know mine wouldn't'

If she garrotted the odious orange turd in their matrimonial bed, THAT would be impressive! Standing around like a shop mannequin, somewhat less so.

Oh hang on, just realised I’m thinking of that scene in Return of the Jedi. As you were.

Michelle Obama has a long list of accomplishments that don't include poise or being able to walk up steps.

obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/first-lady-michelle-obama

She had poise and the ability to manage stairs on top of all of that

Some First Ladies have had wonderful initiatives. It's a unique position and what an opportunity to be able to do something worthwhile. Dressing well and having poise does not come into that category.

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 actually is, @Aderyn19.

Her popular win was very impressive.

Trump only won because of quirks of the EC. He won some large winner takes all (EC votes) states by very small margins.

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/12/20/why-electoral-college-landslides-are-easier-to-win-than-popular-vote-ones/

This is how you define an impressive woman? Looks well presented (when a team of people get her dressed) and doesn't say much?
So you mean “Be pretty and shut up”.

Wow op. Just Wow!!

mathanxiety that link says she was 2.9 million votes ahead, so not even 3 million. I don't consider it particularly impressive to be (not quite) 3 million votes ahead of Trump. And it doesn't matter that he only just won some states by a small majority - a win is a win. That's their system and if the boot was on the other foot, HC would would have taken it and wouldn't be listening to any whining about Donald have a larger share of the popular vote.
Anyone even marginally better than him ought to have walked that election.

In her defence, I don't think she was helped by Obama telling his supporters that they ought to transfer their support to her - they weren't his votes to give away and it does irritate voters when a third party tries to interfere. I also believe she was hindered by her husband - she could have done without the history of all his old scandals.

Anyone even marginally better than him ought to have walked that election.

I wish things were that simple. He got the GOP nomination too and his main contenders weren't even the best candidates.
Elections, particularly in the US are very much a popularity contest. And there are so many factors involved that it's not a matter of the best winning or how big was the win.

This is not the thread for it anyway.

If we are comparing worth, though, I'd take any woman disputing a presidential election over a silent barbie doll.

Even Sarah Palin over Melania.

I’m not sure why the U.S presidents wife is such an important role anyway?
I mean, could anyone name the wife ( or husband ) of any other head of state ?
I don’t even know who Boris Johnson’s partner is?

But back to the point. Michelle Obama was too perfect, too boring.
Give me Betty Ford or Nancy Reagan any day.

Yes, 2.9, rounded up to the closest million - a mere 100,000 up - is 3 million, Aderyn

It doesn't matter what you 'think' is impressive.

The figures speak for themselves. Clinton won the popular vote by a margin that was greater than the winning margin of many winning presidential candidates. JFK for instance edged ahead of Richard Nixon by a mere 100,000 popular votes.

In her defence, I don't think she was helped by Obama telling his supporters that they ought to transfer their support to her - they weren't his votes to give away and it does irritate voters when a third party tries to interfere. I also believe she was hindered by her husband - she could have done without the history of all his old scandals.

In her defence, she was beaten by carefully targeted ads placed by the billionaire Robert Mercer.

I am not sure what you mean by 'they weren't his votes to give away'. Nobody saw or understood Obama's intervention that way. Obama urged black voters to go out and vote for her as it was becoming clear from opinion polling that they were hesitant about Clinton. In the end, many stayed home.

Her willingness to throw women under the bus during the Bill Clinton scandal years definitely made some voters stay home.

Unfortunately, staying home isn't a good idea if others are emerging from the woodwork to cast a vote for an orange faced Neanderthal who bragged about sexually assaulting women.

a win is a win. That's their system
It's the system in 48 states. Maine and Nebraska apportion EC votes proportionally according to counties iirc.

I am not disputing it was a win in the system that obtains. Just that it wasn't at all a clearcut endorsement of Trump, or evidence of massive flaws in Clinton. Many held their noses and voted for her, and many were very cheerful about voting for her.

I live in an area that was festooned with Bernie signs until the end of the primaries and even afterwards. There weren't half as many Hillary signs on front lawns for the election proper. The municipality still voted overwhelmingly for Clinton.

And I personally would be in the hold the nose camp.

Missing the point slightly...but she does look like her husband an awful lot although she is a very attractive woman. Is it the colouring or the look in their eyes, there is a clear resemblance in a lot of photographs.

Well, 2.9 isn't quite 3 million. So her popular vote was less than you said. I think the numbers are relevant if you are making the case that she was a significantly more popular choice.

How do you know what voters thought of Obama's intervention? Staying at home indicates to me that they didn't like it.

I agree that the result wasn't a clear endorsement of Trump, but it was a damning indictment of Clinton. Since neither of us have any power to change things, what I think is as relevant as what you think. Especially on a site where people give opinions. So I reserve the right to remain unimpressed .

Anyway, I'm going to stop now because this is not my thread. Apologies OP, for the derailment.