Coronavirus: Melania slammed for staying out of sight rather than 'calming the nation' like previous first ladies
While schools and other educational institutions are shut down amid coronavirus threat and children are forced to remain home, Melania Trump, instead of assuring the nation's future that everything will be alright, has chosen to stay away from the limelight, only sending out occasional tweets on her official page.
After weeks of silence as her husband's administration struggled to get a grip on the situation that went from bad to worse within days of the virus reaching the United States, the first lady finally addressed the global pandemic on March 11, drawing a lot of flak from angry social media users for not speaking out about it earlier.
She has since shared tidbits of information about the precautions to maintain during the ongoing threat of the virus on her Twitter page. Her latest tweet on March 15 briefly informed people of the importance of "social distancing" before directing them to the CDC website to learn more about the term.
Melania was last seen in public at the national conference of PTA leaders in Virginia and later attended a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House on March 10. In none of the events did she address the topic of coronavirus. She has not been seen in public. When CNN reached out to the White House to find out the whereabouts of the first lady, they did not receive a reply.
A campaign fundraiser in Beverly Hills, California, which was scheduled to be hosted by Trump on March 18, was canceled last week due to "scheduling conflicts."
While it is not uncommon for first ladies to take extended time off from public appearances, most of them in the past have taken a more hands-on approach during national or global crises as it gives them the opportunity to do their bit for the nation at trying times, when their husbands are busy coming up with solutions.
"After 9/11, Laura Bush became the first first lady to deliver the weekly presidential radio address -- she used it to draw attention to human rights abuses against Afghan women," said Kate Andersen Brower, CNN contributor and author of 'First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies.' "It was a powerful message to have the first lady take that leadership role as calmer-in-chief," she added.
And the examples of first ladies stepping up to the plate goes even further back. When FDR was focused on bringing the nation out of the Great Depression, his wife, Eleanor, started visiting families adversely hit by the economic crisis. She also began rallying support for increased war efforts after the Pearl Harbor bombing.
"I think Melania could look at what Eleanor Roosevelt did and talk about her own fears, for her own family, and help people 'rise above,' the crisis, as Roosevelt said in her radio address after Pearl Harbor," Brower said.
Brower added that Melania's primary campaign as the FLOTUS revolves around the education of children and hence, it was more important for her than ever to address how their lives will be affected in the light of coronavirus.
"Melania's 'Be Best' campaign is focused on children so this is an opportunity for her to offer parents suggestions for how to talk to their children, many of whom are home from school for weeks. Now is the time for more information and more communication. Not less!" Brower said. "Luckily for Melania, she has the internet so she can tweet messages and videos and speak directly to the American people. She has access to all this technology that first ladies of the past did not have the benefit of."