I don't favor either-or if a better way can be found. Melania puzzles me. If there is any obvious affection between her and Donald Trump, I have not seen it. I did see what looked to be a rejection of her by the president at his inauguration. I am not willing to assume that an unwillingness to hold hands is evidence of imminent disaster. But when my mind goes to some scenarios I find the situation frightening.

Scary

If I was her and wanted out, I would be scared to death. If I was under pressure to enter the snake pit of the West Wing, I would also be petrified.

So at very least I would think Melania is a captive. A bird in a Gilded Cage. But here is an article that says whatever she is otherwise. She is an enabler. She supports her husband.

The Marie Claire article concludes that Melania is essential to help cover up Trump's manifest inadequacies. The bottom line is that it isn't she who needs to be free, but us.

How does Twitter break down?

If you go to Melania's Twitter site, there is no hint that Marie Claire is wrong. I suspect that FLOTUS has some help but the overall effect is definitely not of someone in a cage writing under duress.

The famous "gorgeous evening" tweet from Taormina is prominent. You could argue that this is prevarication because the account is explicitly run by the office of the First Lady and cannot be assumed to be a true reflection of Melania.

'Divorce the Imbecile'

On the other hand, the comments appended to the First Lady's tweets are a mix of criticism, support, and advice.

like the following.

Rumors

There are rumors to the effect that divorce has been on the table since before the election. But none of them have risen above the status of claims by Snopes and Vanity Fair.

So what is the point?

The point of bringing up this subject at all is that the question has no immediate answer.

The more you dig, the farther you get from being able to say what the situation is. The only break would be if she or President Trump gave an unmistakable signal. Everything else is supposition.

The way the GOP uses women

Ivanka voters are said to be people who see women as excusing the nastiness of their mates and their anti-woman politics. There is the tidbit that Sarah Palin described herself as a feminist while charging Alaskan females for rape kits.

But I have seen no literature that tells me that Republican men beat their wives with more frequency than Democratic men. The GOP policies toward everyone are cruel with the exception of the one percent, the military, and police. Women since the January march seem ready to do battle. Melania will not be in their ranks.

Possibility

Should Melania become vastly more popular than Trump, that might strain things to the breaking point. Maybe that is why she lays low for the most part.
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