Leave Melania and her high heels alone. Focus on what her husband said.
Remember those complaints about how trivializing it was to focus on Hillary Clinton’s hair, or Michelle Obama’s sleeveless sheath? They were right. So while I do care that Donald Trump went to Texas and talked about his crowd size, I do not care, no not even a little bit, that Melania Trump wore heels on the plane to Corpus Christi. (And yes, changed out of her “storm stilettos” and into sneakers before landing.)
Critics read an unwillingness to stand with Texans in the mud in her choice of in-flight footwear. But had she set out in duck boots, she would have been mocked for pretending to be someone she’s not.
My argument is with what her husband said and didn’t say in the Lone Star state, where he never mentioned those who died in Hurricane Harvey, and seemed more impressed by the storm’s size than moved to compassion by its effects. (With the help of a Teleprompter, he did remedy that in Springfield, Mo. on Wednesday.) But like un-Prompted Trump, the first lady’s detractors are focused on the wrong thing. As Houstonian Anna Eastman put it, “Who cares about her shoes? I sorted donated shoes yesterday and it turns out, many Houstonians think spike heels are appropriate for evacuees.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Leave Melania and her high heels alone. Focus on what her husband said.."