Melania Trump’s White House staff is significantly reduced from what Michelle Obama had and of course Fox News is spinning it as a plus for Melania:
The details are contained in an annual report the White House sends to Congress showing the names, positions and salaries of all its personnel. Both the Obama and Trump administrations acknowledged several additional staffers beyond those listed in the report with the term “first lady” in their titles. But even counting all those employees -- 24 for Michelle Obama and nine for the current first lady -- Melania Trump's office is relatively small.
It's an approach her spokeswoman says is intentional.
“As with all things that she does, she is being very deliberate in her hiring, focusing on quality over quantity,” communications director Stephanie Grisham said in an email. “It is important to her that the team is a good fit for what she wants to accomplish as first lady, and that everyone works well together. She also wants to be mindful and responsible when it comes to taxpayer money.”
What exactly does Melania want to accomplish as first lady? Here’s another first for the Trump White House, from when she moved in a few months ago:
Melania Trump’s makeup artist, Nicole Bryl, confirmed that the incoming first lady will be adding a “glam room” to the White House. Yes, just like all the Kardashians have!
"Melania wants a room with the most perfect lighting scenario, which will make our jobs as a creative team that much more efficient, since great lighting can make or break any look,” she told Stylish.
Bryl said that doing Mrs. Trump’s makeup takes "about one hour and 15 minutes of uninterrupted focus. If you want the look to be flawless and have it last [throughout the day], you do have to take a little extra time to make that happen."
Michelle Obama accomplished a tremendous amount in her tenure as First Lady with her “Let’s Move” program to address child obesity, her several education initiatives, her school lunch program and her Peace Corps program to assist girls in poor countries, ”Let Girls Learn.” The last two programs have been rolled back already by the Trump administration. Barack is not the only Obama whose legacy Trump seeks to undo, clearly.
And what has Melania brought to the party, other than the “glam room?” Her cyber bullying program is ”still a work in progress,” according to her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham. She also had a meeting recently listening to parents of children affected by the opoid crisis, but nothing tangible came out of that either.
So, simply, if Michelle Obama had more staffers, it was because she was getting a great deal accomplished being in service to the nation. All the evidence we have of Melania’s accomplishments to date is that she has been prepared for photo ops. Michelle Obama was an outstanding First Lady, Melania is a clothes horse.