Remember when it was noble and praiseworthy for a man to defend his wife’s honor and integrity? He’d be heartily applauded by folks of every ilk for it.
And if he didn’t defend her honor and integrity — well, that man would earn scowls and finger wags (if he were lucky).
Those times are well behind us, apparently, at least when it comes to the sitting president of the United States.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning — as he does so often — took to Twitter to communicate with the American public. And he tweeted about his beloved wife, Melania, and the atrocious hits she’s been taking from a disingenuous, conspiracy theory-obsessed press over the past few weeks.
Today, the president hit back at the media, as he’s wont to do. And he hit hard.
This time, there was a bit of a twist. This time, his calling out of the “fake news” in a two-part tweet was not in his own defense or that of his party. This time, he was protecting his wife.
The president directly addressed the media’s despicable treatment of the first lady during her brief convalescence following a medical procedure last month. He did not mince words (does he ever?).
Trump scolded the media for their “unfair” and “vicious” coverage. While Melania was recovering, the media put forward wild speculation, including the possibility that she was being abused, that she had left the White House and the president, and even that she’d died.
The president also called out the failure of four reporters whom he said had spotted Melania at the White House last week. He alleged that the reason they failed to report the sighting was that doing so — that is, engaging in responsible journalism — would “hurt the sick narrative.”
Related: Conspiracy Theories Wrong Again as Melania Trump Appears at White House Event
On Wednesday afternoon, a strong and healthy-looking Melania Trump joined her husband at Washington, D.C.’s National Response Coordination Center for a briefing at FEMA’s headquarters on the 2018 hurricane season.
Do President Trump and Melania Trump deserve an apology from media outlets that intentionally and irresponsibly stoked the ugly rumors?
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
The Fake News Media has been so unfair, and vicious, to my wife and our great First Lady, Melania. During her recovery from surgery they reported everything from near death, to facelift, to left the W.H. (and me) for N.Y. or Virginia, to abuse. All Fake, she is doing really well!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2018
…Four reporters spotted Melania in the White House last week walking merrily along to a meeting. They never reported the sighting because it would hurt the sick narrative that she was living in a different part of the world, was really ill, or whatever. Fake News is really bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2018
Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.
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