.... what? ...

[dutch508]

 

anneboleyn (3,585 posts) http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028579601

Trump walks w/Ivanka as FLOTUS to make "unannounced" visit to Seal. Melania not FLOTUS

Last edited Wed Feb 1, 2017, 05:15 PM - Edit history (1)

So Melania is not moving to the White House (which doesn't surprise me at all). In fact she has disappeared again. I can only imagine the insanity that would have happened if Michelle Obama had refused to move to the White House, and she had TWO young children. The republicans would never have said "hands off" if Michelle had made that decision. No way in hell!

So Ivanka is clearly now "FLOTUS." Just now Trump walked out to pay an "unannounced visit" to the family of the Navy Seal who died in the attack Trump just ordered on a target in Yemen. Ordinarily, of course, the FLOTUS would be at the president's side. Instead it is Ivanka, walking so close to Trump one couldn't see any light between them, and I am sorry but it looks extremely weird -- a father, whose wife is perfectly healthy and capable, having his adult, married with children daughter serve in the FLOTUS spot. It LOOKS very strange, and yes optics matter, and I don't care which historical figures the repubs invoke (Kennedy had his brother around!) -- it looks very peculiar.

I also commented in another thread that we don't need to treat Melania like some special snowflake. She isn't helpless. Michelle Obama, not to mention Hillary, were criticized for every step they took as First Ladies. Melania nodded at everything Trump did and said on the trail, constantly voiced her support for him, participated in his birther attacks, and she dismissed/rationalized his infamous "grab 'em by the *****" statements in a major television interview.

She is a grown-ass woman (as my students would say), and she has enormous resources at her disposal w/without Trump. As the wife of the president, she is one of the most powerful women in the world. I am sorry but her decision against moving to the White House, and obvious total disinterest in doing any of the FLOTUS charity work or supporting any interests (as all First Ladies have done for decades), sets back all of the work First Ladies like Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie and Laura Bush (yes even Laura) and so on have done over the years, in the modern age. I remember Trump promising (and Melania repeating) that she would have all sorts of causes, especially women's health care. So much for that!

Ivanka is our FLOTUS. It looks very strange, and seeing the two march together in unison, side-by-side, "joined at the hip" was very odd indeed.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5892492e/turbine/ct-trump-makes-unannounced-trip-to-honor-falle-001/650/650x366
34

      
 

Star Member underpants (122,097 posts)
1. Where was this "unannounced" visit?

AT the White House?

can't take five minutes to look shit up...

Star Member woodsprite (7,547 posts)
15. If I had been the wife he was "paying respects to", I would have spit on him. n/t

 

doc03 (18,430 posts)
8. What about the Seal that was killed carrying out Trumps order

what happened there? Never saw anything about it other than it was a total cluster f--- here on DU.

doc03 (18,430 posts)
16. I haven't seen any details at all and a Seal was killed, the Republicans would

blaming Obama for his death already. Maybe they will yet.

 

They went on a raid to kill the enemy. We lost men. That's what a war is like.

brush (10,968 posts)
38. He was trying to out do Obama's getting Bin Lade but the raid failed.

The media didn't cover it well.

I thought they were finding balls briefly there but apparently they're still cowed by trump and president Bannon.

They killed 14 terrorists and recovered huge amounts of intel. Yeah... socom shit doesn't get reported well because it is a secret. Barry reported it to make himself look better.

Star Member Baitball Blogger (25,039 posts)
20. Republilcans are such huge souless hypocrites to tolerate this incredible

separation from the conventions they demand from others.

[nomad54]

After the last eight years, I would actually be fine if Mrs. Trump did not "support any interests" first ladies normally do. 
This is an uncommon view now days, but I believe a mother's first and most important job is to be a  mother. 
Besides, the white house is probably a step down for the Trumps.

[SVPete]

I guess Trump isn't a "prisoner" in the WH?

Obama went to Dover at least a couple of times in his first term, also unannounced. As did Bush, who didn't want to dishonor the fallen by making his visits PR events.

Re the Ivanka and Melania comments, catty, catty, catty! I, for one, am happy Bill isn't First Perv of the United States!

ETA: As has been pointed out, now that an R is President, WoT casualties will again be news.

[BadCat]

Upon the return of a fallen soldier to Dover -

Obama would have played golf.
Hillary would have showed up and lied to the parents of the soldier.

I like the Trumps approach much better.

[DLR Pyro]

So Melania is not moving to the White House (which doesn't surprise me at all). In fact she has disappeared again.

surprise, surprise...

A spokeswoman for the first lady knocked down recent reports that Trump would not be moving to Washington at all.
"That report is not true," the spokeswoman said.
Later Wednesday, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, acting as senior adviser to the first lady, confirmed Trump will move to Washington.
"Mrs. Trump will be moving to DC and settling in to the White House at the end of the school year, splitting her time between New York and DC in the meantime," she said. "Mrs. Trump is honored to serve this country and is taking the role and responsibilities of first lady very seriously. It has only been a short time since the inauguration and the first lady is going to go about her role in a pragmatic and thoughtful way that is unique and authentic to her."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/politics/melania-trump-white-house-chief-of-staff/index.html

[SVPete]

Later Wednesday, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, acting as senior adviser to the first lady, confirmed Trump will move to Washington.
"Mrs. Trump will be moving to DC and settling in to the White House at the end of the school year, splitting her time between New York and DC in the meantime," she said.

Gee! That almost sounds like the plans announced back in December, the first time Progs bought the rumor that ... wait! That is the same plan that was announced.

Why is CNN setting this rumor straight? Did they run with it at first?

OTOH, come July or August, when Melania and Barron move to DC and Barron is enrolled in a DC school, will DU-folk claim they're body doubles, just to maintain this narrative?

[thundley4]

Gee! That almost sounds like the plans announced back in December, the first time Progs bought the rumor that ... wait! That is the same plan that was announced.

Why is CNN setting this rumor straight? Did they run with it at first?

OTOH, come July or August, when Melania and Barron move to DC and Barron is enrolled in a DC school, will DU-folk claim they're body doubles, just to maintain this narrative?

They will complain that Barron is enrolled in some expensive private school.

[SVPete]

They will complain that Barron is enrolled in some expensive private school.

Frankly, cultural-social realities being what they are, no POTUS should enroll their children in a PS (it was reasonably safe when Carter did it) any time soon. BUT the difference between Clinton or Obama (both, Sidwell Friends) and Trump is that C & O opposed school choice for normal people, while Trump nominated a school choice advocate for SecEd.

[thundley4]

Frankly, cultural-social realities being what they are, no POTUS should enroll their children in a PS (it was reasonably safe when Carter did it) any time soon. BUT the difference between Clinton or Obama (both, Sidwell Friends) and Trump is that C & O opposed school choice for normal people, while Trump nominated a school choice advocate for SecEd.

Obama cut the program of vouchers for DC. 

A president's child going to a public school would be far worse for the school and the students. The security involved would be very disruptive.

[Carl]

Frankly, cultural-social realities being what they are, no POTUS should enroll their children in a PS (it was reasonably safe when Carter did it) any time soon. BUT the difference between Clinton or Obama (both, Sidwell Friends) and Trump is that C & O opposed school choice for normal people, while Trump nominated a school choice advocate for SecEd.

That was my first thought too.

[SVPete]

...
A president's child going to a public school would be far worse for the school and the students. The security involved would be very disruptive.

Precisely. It's hard to try to name a date - especially with Reagan and G. H. W. Bush's children already be adults (being kind to Ron Jr.) - but I think sometime in WJC's years things got to the point that Chelsea truly should have been sent to private school. PSs are not designed with security in mind, and evidently Sidwell Friends was adaptable (or already adapted).

Sadly, as loony as some Progs have become and given the high percentage of Libs & Progs in "education", I would not be at all surprised if it proves necessary for Barron to have a private tutor at home. I 100% hope to be wrong about that!

[Ralph Wiggum]

Precisely. It's hard to try to name a date - especially with Reagan and G. H. W. Bush's children already be adults (being kind to Ron Jr.) - but I think sometime in WJC's years things got to the point that Chelsea truly should have been sent to private school. PSs are not designed with security in mind, and evidently Sidwell Friends was adaptable (or already adapted).

Sadly, as loony as some Progs have become and given the high percentage of Libs & Progs in "education", I would not be at all surprised if it proves necessary for Barron to have a private tutor at home. I 100% hope to be wrong about that!

Was trying to exactly determine who was the last male child to grow up in the White House.  Has to be a Ford child or JFK jr.

[thundley4]

Was trying to exactly determine who was the last male child to grow up in the White House.  Has to be a Ford child or JFK jr.

Steven Ford was 18 when his dad took office, and JFK jr was too young to have attended school.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Steven Ford was 18 when his dad took office, and JFK jr was too young to have attended school.

Thanks, that's kinda what my research showed.  Didn't work terribly hard on it, was just my own curiosity.

[98ZJUSMC]

This is an uncommon view now days, but I believe a mother's first and most important job is to be a  mother. 

From all appearances, thus far, that is EXACTLY where her concerns are.   

[jukin]

"BREAKING NEWS: CNN has breaking news about First Lady Melania Trump and First Daughter Ivanka Trump. Our sources, and I repeat sources, have video proof that both of these so called "ladies" place the toilet paper so the sheets roll out to the rear!!! THE REAR for GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!!!"

CNN
Not FAKE News

[Adam Wood]

"BREAKING NEWS: CNN has breaking news about First Lady Melania Trump and First Daughter Ivanka Trump. Our sources, and I repeat sources, have video proof that both of these so called "ladies" place the toilet paper so the sheets roll out to the rear!!! THE REAR for GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!!!"

CNN
Not FAKE News

[DUmpsterDiver]

To think like a DUmmy, it requires a cranial floor() IQ function that bottoms out at a level too low to measure.

[DUmpsterDiver]

This man has no cats.

[Adam Wood]

This man has no cats.

[BlueStateSaint]

This man has no cats.

My cat has never attacked a toilet paper roll.  Don't know why not, and I really don't care.