First lady Melania Trump’s messaging in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the resulting protests around the country has frustrated the West Wing, according to a White House official.
Out of sync with the “law and order” mantra President Donald Trump has supported, the first lady in a handful of tweets has noted peace and healing.
On Monday, at almost exactly the same time as the President was on a conference call with governors telling them from the West Wing they looked like “jerks” for being “weak” and unable to “dominate” and “put down” protests, the first lady was tweeting about the country’s need for peace.
“First Lady Melania Trump cares deeply for the American people and her messages of comfort, encouragement, healing, and peace are an important part of the President’s commitment to stop the violence and restore security to our neighborhoods,” Judd Deere, White House deputy press secretary, told CNN.
The autonomy of Trump’s East Wing strikes a notable difference from previous administrations, where the work and messaging of first ladies was often designed to dovetail with the directives of the West Wing.