It seems like just yesterday that we were all collectively reeling from a report that President Donald J. Trump had referred to nations in Africa as “s–thole countries” during a closed-door meeting about immigration.
Fast-forward 8 months — plus one humanitarian crisis and more plea deals from Trump-adjacent personnel than we can count — and the President is taking a meeting with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the White House.
The President was joined by First Lady Melania Trump as well as Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta for a photo op on Monday afternoon. Melania was all pretty in pastels for the occasion, wearing an inoffensive pale pink shell and a knee-length brocade floral Valentino skirt (from the spring 2017 collection, original price $3,950), which she paired with her go-to Louboutin stiletto heels in a matching shade of baby pink (no Louboutin logo pumps today).
The overall look was sunny and bright — albeit, a bit stuffy — but not unlike the First Lady’s favored A-line silhouette-plus-stilettos combination. The color palette seemed to be Melania’s ode to summer as the season approaches its final days, but also, perhaps, a cheerful act of goodwill toward a country whose people her husband had insulted. Her jolly brocade could be interpreted as a buffer of sorts.
Both FLOTUS and Margaret, clad in a patterned cape in what appeared to be a traditional African pattern, looked — from the outside at least — to be friendly and warm with one another as they walked into the White House.
The leaders spoke of increasing trade between the two countries, but the goings on of the afternoon seemed to be overshadowed by the passing of John McCain. According to several reporters on site at the White House, Trump repeatedly ignored questions about the war hero with whom he had a contentious relationship. The Arizona senator died on Saturday at age 81 following a long battle with brain cancer.Following the news of McCain’s death, Trump sent his “deepest sympathies” to the McCain family via — what else — Twitter. Many highlighted the fact that he did not thank McCain for his service, tying the omission back to his 2015 jab about McCain’s capture and subsequent imprisonment during the Vietnam War. “I like people that weren’t captured,” he said, adding that McCain was “not a war hero.”
The First Lady, on the other hand, did thank McCain for his service to the country. Not for the first time, conclusions were drawn about Melania’s subtle disagreements with her husband and whether or not her intention was to undermine his authority. Her most-recent public dissent from her husband’s opinion was regarding Lebron James and the “I Promise” school he opened in Ohio. And Omarosa Manigault Newman insisted that Melania’s “I really don’t care. Do u?” jacket was also a dig intended to ruffle the President’s feathers.
This October, the First Lady will be traveling to Africa on a solo trip aimed at learning more about issues plaguing the children there.
“This will be my first time traveling to Africa and I am excited to educate myself on the issues facing children throughout the continent, while also learning about its rich culture and history,” she said in a statement. “We are a global society and I believe it is through open dialogue and the exchanging of ideas that we have a real opportunity to learn from one another.”
Could she be foreshadowing a bright and cheery wardrobe for her solo trip? Stay tuned
