Katie Reilly, TIME – July 19, 2016
“There’s a political tint to this whole issue,” Manafort said at a press conference. “We’ve noted that the Clinton camp was the first to get it out there and trying to say that there was something untoward about the speech that Melania Trump gave. It’s just another example, as far as we’re concerned, that when Hillary Clinton is threatened by a female, the first thing she does is try to destroy the person.”
Clare Foran, The Atlantic – July 19, 2016
Melania Trump’s remarks at the Republican National Convention are making news because they appear to have been lifted, in part, from a 2008 speech given by Michelle Obama. But Melania’s speech was distinct from the First Lady’s in a significant way. When she talked about her upbringing, she elevated the importance of beauty as a part of her personal narrative. It was one more way that she, and her husband, have used their position of power on the campaign trail to send a message that a woman’s worth can be measured by the way she looks.
Garance Franke Ruta, Yahoo! News – July 19, 2016
Though Trump says on her website that she obtained a degree in design and architecture from a university in Slovenia, her biographers have made clear that she left college after her first year to pursue a career as a model. Not finishing — or even attending — college is a first lady background that’s been more common in Republican administrations over the past 75 years, perhaps reflecting the greater gender traditionalism on the GOP side of the aisle.
Julia Ioffe, Politico – July 18, 2016
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from Melania Trump. The candidate’s third wife has been out of the public eye for two months—a strangely long silence for a campaign spouse. At times, her absence has been glaring, like when Donald Trump and his children did his photo-op on Saturday with new running mate Mike Pence and his family, and Melania was literally absent from the pictures. Tonight she’s teed up to return to the trail, and in a big way: A keynote speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention, when the party gets a formal introduction to the woman who could be America’s next first lady.
Rema Rahman, Roll Call – July 18, 2016
If parts of Melania Trump’s speech Monday night sounded familiar, it might be because the wording she used was nearly identical to a speech given in 2008 by another would-be first lady: Michelle Obama.
Brian Frederick and Laurel Elder, Huffington Post – May 20, 2016
As the primary phase of the presidential campaign winds down speculation about the prospect of a Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton general election showdown has heated up. In so many ways a matchup between these presidential contenders breaks new ground as far as U.S. presidential elections are concerned. One significant departure from previous campaigns can be found in the way each candidates’ spouses break the mold from the traditional expectations Americans have for the individuals who have occupied these roles.
Nolan D. McCaskill, Politico – May 17, 2016
Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday whether the billionaire’s words could haunt him in a general election against Clinton, Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said she didn’t think so. “I think that’s insane. Women know Donald Trump is a very successful businessperson,” Pierson said. “He’s raised a wonderful family. His own wife endorsed him for president. So this is a narrative that they’ve overreached on and ultimately will fail.”
Mark Hensch, The Hill – May 17, 2016
Melania Trump says she is shocked by Chris Matthews’s recent remarks about her physical appearance. “Unbelievable,” she said in an interview with Du Jour published on Tuesday. “That’s what I’m saying — I’m not only a beauty, I’m smart. I have brains. I’m intelligent. I would just say, Men will be men.”
Peggy Drexler, CNN – May 5, 2016
Unsavory, sure, perhaps a little creepy, yes, especially since it’s not the first time Matthews has weighed in on a woman’s appearance on air. Sexist? Some will insist it is, but this is hard to say. What his comments do provide is clear evidence that, no matter how much we may try to focus these days, especially in the political context, on anything but a woman’s looks, it’s all but impossible to ignore a beautiful woman.
Dylan Byers, CNN Money – May 4, 2016
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was caught on a hot mic commenting on Melania Trump’s “runway walk” during the network’s Indiana primary coverage.