Melania's ability to connect with all sides makes her a more effective FLOTUS than Michelle, says expert
Melania Trump and Michelle Obama have often been pitted against each other for their looks and their outlooks. The personas as the first ladies of the United States have often been held in stark contrast.
US political and cultural commentator Jadan Horyn recently added to this tradition saying while the two are completely different in their approaches to their role in the White House, Melania's approach is way more effective than that used by Michelle Obama when she was in the White House.
Horyn told Express that Melania trumps Michelle in this one respect, "Michelle Obama was inevitably political, she could not be separated from Barack the candidate as opposed to Barack the President. She was one of his number one campaign vouchers."
Calling it a "PR-made persona," he added, "Yes, she is the most popular former First Lady, but everyone is generally more popular the less they talk about politics. When they tie her to Barack Obama and Barack Obama as a politician her popularity goes down. So I don’t think she was effective in the same way as Melania Trump."
Horyn says, in Melania's case, it is "not conducted in some massive avenue advertising process." Melania wants to communicate to the American public and has an element of authenticity, Horyn says. This is why she is "so mysterious to both the left and the right."
Not just Melania and Michelle, Horyne also commented about former US Secretary and First Lady Hillary Clinton's "feminist" stance when she stood next to her husband in his support in 1998 when he was accused of sexual harassment.
"If we look at Hillary Clinton who we call a feminist, but she literally said the words ‘I stand by my man’ when he was accused of sexual assault and harassment. When you look at Nancy Reagan or Lady Bird Johnson, all of these women embodied the idea of a First Lady with this primary role to support their husband," he said, adding, "That’s all they existed for."
He outlined how it is not the case with Melania as she has "chosen and redefined the role of First Lady". He feels Melania did it in a way "that works for her, not a way that works for the left or even for the rest of the American public."