Don't expect Melania Trump to tame Trump's Twitter habit
With little fanfare, first lady Melania Trump moved into the White House on Sunday along with her and President Trump's 11-year-old son, Barron. The president has reportedly spoken with his wife frequently during her five-month absence from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and some Trump friends suggest that having the first lady in the White House will steady the Trump presidential ship. "She is the president's never-ending barometer of reality, and she delivers candor and honesty blended with selfless love for him and his family in equal doses," said Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a close friend of the Trumps. "She is the immovable rudder to an ever-changing sea."
But Trump supporters and White House aides who view in Melania Trump "a ray of hope as the person who will finally be the one to tame the untamable president," especially when it comes to early-morning, potentially self-destructive tweeting, should hold their breath, says Maggie Haberman at The New York Times. "Those expectations are unrealistic, unfairly raise expectations, and are unlikely to be met, people close to Mrs. Trump point out."
"President Trump has been steadfast in making his own decisions about social media, overruling advice from aides," notes Krissah Thompson at The Washington Post. Thompson points to an interview Melania Trump gave to the luxury magazine Du Jour last year, in which she said he gives "a lot of advice to my husband and tell him how it is and how I see it." Trump's kids from his previous two marriages would call her after a speech, she added. "They know I would talk to him and put him in the right direction. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn't. He will decide what he does." Haberman recalled Melania Trump's comment to CNN's Anderson Cooper not long after her husband's Access Hollywood video surfaced: "Sometimes I say I have two teenage boys at home — my young son and my husband."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The new powers to stop stalking in the UK
The Explainer Updated guidance could help protect more victims, but public is losing trust in police and battered criminal justice system
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Criminal trail?'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Grindr 'shared user HIV status' with ad firms, lawsuit claims
Speed Read LGBTQ dating app accused of breaching UK data protection laws in case filed at London's High Court
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopics
Speed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 Grammys
Speed Read SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Lainey Wilson were also among the winners at LA gala
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published