And she’s currently ringing in Christmas at the White House in an era when ’s word of the year is “complicit.” The narrative surrounding her routinely diverges when it comes to the question of how “complicit” you believe her to be in her husband’s presidency.Ĭonsequently, it makes perfect sense that meme culture - which tends to reflect our collective social and political anxieties - has regularly commented on Melania Trump with the central theme of how well she fits in or doesn’t fit into the White House environment. No matter your opinion of Melania Trump, it’s clear that her time in the White House so far has been marked by scrutiny. On at least one occasion, according to a recent conspiracy theory that also became the butt of many online jokes, she’s been replaced by a body double. The inclination of many to turn the current administration into a horror meme - remember the creepy pope photo, or the Orb? - has undoubtedly been boosted by the current first family’s tendency to pose stiffly and unsmilingly for public photos.Īnd this Christmas decor debate certainly isn’t the first time that Melania’s posture or fashion choices have either come under fire or elicited a grandiose amount of patronizing sympathy - two very different sentiments that have each inspired backlash in subsequent hot takes about the first lady’s degree of agency over her own life. (However, it’s worth noting that many of the more praise-filled posts were also accompanied by hashtags like #BuildThatWall, #DrainTheSwamp, and #LockHerUp - the kinds of messages that remind us that even in seemingly bright moments, the Trump White House is still affiliated with many very dark things.) The horror meme response illustrates just how complicated the narrative around Melania Trump has become On Twitter, critical responses to video of the scene - most notably the one below, which was captured and circulated by the Hill reporter Judy Kurtz - focused on Trump’s rigid pose as she watched the performance.Ī repost from Love seeing her with kids #melania #melaniatrump #trump #donaldtrump #45 #maga #whitehouse #dc #draintheswamp #lockherup #president #flotus #firstlady #Christmastree #christmas #decoration #holiday #beautiful #ootd #style #chic #love #politics #foxnews #model #photographerĪ post shared by FLOTUS Melania Trump on at 8:03pm PST

But on social media, the theme was less American Presidential and more American Horror Story. This year’s theme, chosen by Trump herself, was “Time-Honored Traditions,” in honor of past Christmases at the White House. A trio of dancers from Hartford, Connecticut, performed the “Nutcracker Suite” for the first lady as part of the White House’s annual public holiday celebration. Melania Trump’s Christmas aesthetic is either a horror show or a lovely ode to “traditional values”įirst, there were the ballerinas.

Depending on your social media platform of choice - and whom you follow on it - Melania Trump’s November 27 reveal of this year’s White House Christmas decorations was either a magical glimpse of a stunning winter wonderland or a nightmare pulled straight out of a horror movie.Īnd those opposite reactions to Trump’s attempts to deck the presidential halls indicate just how divergent the narratives around the first lady have become.