Melania Trump: Why People Are Worried About Her
The public is fascinated by first lady Melania Trump. From her supposedly tense marriage with President Donald Trump to her day-to-day life behind the scenes, people are desperate to know who Melania really is. Although the notoriously private FLOTUS may hate the attention, she doesn't do herself any favors by dodging the press and fans. Simply put: the more Melania tries to avoid the public eye, the folks want to know about her. In May 2018, curiosity and concern reached a fever pitch when the press noticed that Melania was MIA for a prolonged period of time. It's not typical behavior for a first lady to seemingly vanish without a trace, but Melania's disappearing act isn't the only reason why people are worried about her. In fact, there are many troubling pieces of evidence to suggest something might be amiss with the mom and former model. On that note, here's why people are concerned about Melania Trump.
Her kidney surgery
Any surgery is scary, and Melania probably knows this all to well, as she was hospitalized to treat a benign kidney condition in May 2018. Melania's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, said the procedure was "successful" in a statement (via CNN). "The first lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere." Although we don't know much about her kidney issue, that hasn't stopped followers from discussing rumored possibilities and worrying about the unknowns.
The president visited the hospital during her stay, and two days after the surgery, Melania thanked the public for its support. "A sincere thank you to Walter Reed Medical Unit @WRBethesda & to all who have send good wishes & prayers," she tweeted. "I am feeling great & look forward to getting back home @WhiteHouse soon."
Her long absence from the public eye
Most first ladies embrace the spotlight when they move into the White House. Former first lady Michelle Obama, for instance, often appeared at outings alongside President Barack Obama and attended events to promote her campaign to end childhood obesity. The first ladies of recent history have become known for their social causes, community engagement, and countless photo ops. Melania, on the other hand, is protective of her personal life, and there are rumors that she never wanted the role of first lady. Still, as much as Melania might dislike her new life in Washington, no one thought she'd disappear from the public eye for a whopping 24 days. Yep, that happened.
Here's what went down: Following Melania's kidney surgery on May 14, 2018, she seemingly disappeared. Although many assumed FLOTUS was busy recovering from her hospitalization, the press couldn't help but notice that her absence was suspiciously long. Social media users had a field day with Melania's supposed whereabouts and #WhereIsMelania was born.
The good news: She resurfaced on June 4, 2018 to honor Gold Star families at the White House.
That weird tweet
It's no secret that Donald Trump absolutely loves social media and that his home away from home is Twitter. As for Melania Trump, her relationship with the internet is lukewarm at best. She clearly didn't prioritize social media before her husband won the presidential election in November 2017, and she hasn't sent out many tweets as first lady.
Considering Melania isn't the biggest fan of social media, many were surprised when she tweeted a confident message on May 30, 2018, addressing her long absence from the public eye. "I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I'm doing," she supposedly tweeted. "Rest assured, I'm here at the @WhiteHouse w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!"
Following Melania's uncharacteristic post, some questioned if her husband had actually written the message. For starters, the tone and the language of the tweet doesn't seem to match Melania's writing style. Additionally, she isn't one to comment on speculation. The most compelling piece of evidence centers around Melania's dig at the media. President Trump is a big fan of the phrase "the media is working overtime." Hmm. Need we explain why it's concerning that the president could be potentially ghostwriting Melania's tweets? She can speak for herself, right?
Her 'little problem'
Melania Trump fell victim to her husband's foot-in-mouth disease at an event honoring Gold Star families on June 5, 2018. According to Daily Caller reporter Jena Greene, the president had this to say: "Melania had a little problem a couple weeks ago but she wouldn't miss this for anything." Awkward much? What the heck is Melania's "little problem" in reference to?
Although it's likely Donald was alluding to her aforementioned kidney surgery, others speculated that there was something more sinister about his remark. "Her little problem is him," one person tweeted. "That sounds utterly chilling, like he's warning her whatever 'problem' she had is going to happen again," another commenter theorized. Yikes! The Donald likely meant no harm, but his uncomfortable comment fueled even more concern for Melania's well-being.
She supposedly doesn't like the spotlight
Rumors abound that Melania Trump is struggling to accept the national spotlight thrust upon her as first lady. She enjoyed a rather private and glamorous existence in New York City prior to her husband's presidential ambitions — a life that's now out of her reach for the foreseeable future. "What's happening is exactly what she didn't want to happen," a source told People. "They've literally become like the Kardashians: scandals, divorces, headlines."
Before the presidency, "She was able to do whatever she wanted and have her family with her much of the time. In those days, she enjoyed spending time at her husband's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, during the week, while Trump remained in New York City," an insider said. "No one was paying attention to her two years ago. They went about their day. Now it's a 24/7 tornado. She hates it."
Melania's alleged pain caused by all this publicity is certainly cause for concern. It's not easy living in a bubble.
Her rumored marriage troubles
One of the most talked about concerns regarding Melania is her marriage. Many have speculated that her relationship is rocky, and that POTUS and FLOTUS rarely even see one another.
Stories abound about the couple's most cringe-worthy moments, including plenty of footage of the president trying and failing to hold the first lady's hand during public outings. But that's not all — an insider told The Washington Post that these two "spend very little to no time together." Yikes. Dealing with a supposedly tough marriage in the public eye is no joke, so it's no wonder people are worried about Melania.
However, if you ask her longtime friends, there's nothing amiss in the first lady's personal life. "She is a dignified, private person, and she'll deal with her personal life in private and it's no one's business," pal Stephanie Winston Wolkoff told The Washington Post. "They are not that couple that holds hands just because; she is old-world European and it's not who she is."
She's skipping major events
The world watches when the first lady drops out of a scheduled events. Although it's totally okay for Melania to change her mind about a function or photo op, she raised eyebrows in June 2018 when she skipped the annual G7 summit in Quebec, an important gathering of world leaders that she attended in 2017 in Italy. Melania also did not accompany her husband to Singapore for a historic summit with North Korea.
Melania had seemingly enjoyed international travel in the past and has been well-received at high-profile gatherings with world leaders, so her decision to skip the summet fueled rumors that the rumors about trouble in her marriage were taking a toll. "The fact that there does not appear to be any logical reason for why she's not going [to the summits] is likely to fuel our suspicions that the Trump marriage is distant and or dysfunctional," Stacy Cordery, a history professor at Iowa State University, told The Independent.
Of course, it's totally possible that Melania didn't feel up to flying following her kidney surgery the month prior.
Does she look 'sad' to you?
Melania Trump's public image has often been described as sad or discontented, and social media users, of course, have compiled a long list of examples to prove that not all is well with the first lady. The whole thing took root when FLOTUS appeared solemn at Donald Trump's January 2017 inauguration, and soon after, the #SadMelania hashtag started trending online.
"...i genuinely feel bad for her," one twitter user commented on a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Trump. "He doesn't appreciate her and she doesn't seem happy at all." Another tweeted: "#SadMelania makes me really just hope she's actually happy af."
Obviously, there's no way to tell from photos how Melania is truly feeling inside. We'd like to think she's doing fine and just so happens to sport a serious game face that's been misinterpreted by her many followers.
The abuse allegations
When Melania Trump disappeared from the public eye for a stretch of 24 days, Rolling Stone writer Jamil Smith suggested something sinister could be at play. "I wish that I didn't suspect that the prolonged, poorly explained public absence of Melania Trump could be about concealing abuse," Smith tweeted on June 3, 2018. "I wish that it was a ludicrous prospect. I wish that the @POTUS wasn't a man with a history of abusing women, including those to whom he is married."
Smith's allegation unnerved some, while others disregarded the tweet as ludicrous. Either way, it got people talking about Melania's public absence even more. President Trump weighed in on the rumors on June 6, 2018. "The Fake News Media has been so unfair, and vicious, to my wife and our great First Lady, Melania," he tweeted. "During her recovery from surgery they reported everything from near death, to facelift, to left the W.H. (and me) for N.Y. or Virginia, to abuse. All Fake, she is doing really well!"
Is she 'unhappy' with her life?
All in all, the concern about Melania Trump boils down to whether she's happy or not. Although the public can't assume anything about the her emotional state, there are rumors that suggest she might be dissatisfied with her life. In fact, sources supposedly close to Melania have said as much. "She is very, very unhappy with her life," one insider claimed, via Us Weekly. "If she could, she would get away from Donald and just be with her son."
If you consider the possibility that Melania may never have wanted to be first lady, it's reasonable to assume that she might be down in the dumps. Imagine having to accept a job you didn't ask for. Next, imagine that the entire world was constantly examining your marriage and investigating affair allegations involving your husband. As a source told Us Weekly, "all eyes are on her relationship with her husband. It's not an easy time for her."