Actor Michael Ian Black Dissects the Mystery of Missing Melania -- and it's Spellbinding"First Ladies don’t just drop out of sight; they go to Memorial Day wreath layings, for example. Or accompany their husbands to Camp David."
By Tom Boggioni / Raw Story June 2, 2018, 4:13 AM GMT
Like many people, actor and comedian Michael Ian Black has grown fascinated with the seeming disappearance of first lady Melania Trump, who was last seen in public on May 10 -- almost three weeks ago -- prior to undergoing a medical procedure that was expected to keep her in the hospital for a few days, only for her to stay for the better part of a week.
With President Donald Trump headed to Camp David for the weekend without the First Lady, Black suggested that something may be up and made some decidedly non-snarky suggestions that there may be trouble between the president and his wife and she wishes to not be seen with him.
In a tweet storm on Friday, Black wrote: "I’ve been obsessing a bit over Melania’s disappearance - and that’s what it is. First Ladies don’t just drop out of sight; they go to Memorial Day wreath layings, for example. Or accompany their husbands to Camp David. They are *in* the public view."
He added, "My question: why is the press being so quiet about this and how does it reflect on their attitude towards Melania in general? Uniquely and remarkably, I think the press’s attitude towards the First Lady of the United States is that of victim."
Black expressed sympathy for the first lady saying, "They treat her with the softest of kid gloves. Has there ever been less scrutiny of a modern First Lady? Has the public ever known less about a First Lady? Most of us don’t even know cursory information about her - I would bet most people don’t even know her home country."
And with that, he launched into an exploration of possible reasons why Melania Trump appears to be laying low and if the press-- for some unknown reason -- is covering for her and the president.
You can read the tweets below:
I’ve been obsessing a bit over Melania’s disappearance - and that’s what it is. First Ladies don’t just drop out of sight; they go to Memorial Day wreath layings, for example. Or accompany their husbands to Camp David. They are *in* the public view.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
My question: why is the press being so quiet about this and how does it reflect on their attitude towards Melania in general? Uniquely and remarkably, I think the press’s attitude towards the First Lady of the United States is that of victim.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
They treat her with the softest of kid gloves. Has there ever been less scrutiny of a modern First Lady? Has the public ever known less about a First Lady? Most of us don’t even know cursory information about her - I would bet most people don’t even know her home country.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
Why? One would think she would be the subject of innumerable profiles, magazine covers, fawning articles, all the rest of it. My guess: because we’ve been trained to view her as nothing more than an accessory, and an unwilling accessory at that. Literally a trophy wife.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
The only thing we seem to know for sure about her, based on their infrequent public appearances, is her she hates him. That is a remarkable, and uncommented upon story in its own right. The woman who knows the president best hates him.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
Why does nobody in the press talk about this? I assume it’s too gossipy, which I understand, but it also feels like a story when people are pointing to her approval numbers as a way of supporting him.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
What we have is a strange silence from the entirety of the press corps who accept her explanation of a previously unannounced hospital stay when this administration regularly lies to us. I’m not saying they’re lying about this, but how do we take their word?
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
Why does the press report that “Melania” tweeted that message the other day when she obviously did not? I have no idea why she disappeared but I think it’s super weird the way the press covers her. No other First Lady that I can remember got this kind of “hands-off” treatment.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
The implication is that she is an unwilling participant in this presidency, which may be true, but she is not a victim. I don’t care about the state of their marriage but I do care about the patronizing way she’s covered.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
And if she’s a victim, what is the nature of her victimhood? She’s a rich woman married to the most powerful man in the world. If she is a victim, in whatever manner, I’d like to know how.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) June 1, 2018
https://www.alternet.org/actor-michael- ... ellbinding