why is melania trump sort of a tiktok muse atm?
don’t @ me, i'm not taking sides here, just here to talk about the melania edits.
Melania Trump has become an unexpected muse for TikTok fan edits. Set to Y2K club classics, these videos montage her most “iconic” First Lady moments—swatting away Donald Trump's hand, icy glances, and her detached public presence. The edits frame her as a baddie while speculating she’s trapped in a life she never wanted but still showing up hot. And with Trump’s 2024 win, the comment section dying to know… How does Melania feel about being First Lady #again?
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This fan edit phenomenon is happening organically, which is ironic considering the efforts put into Kamala Harris’s social campaign. When Kamala was crowned the Democratic Nominee, her team launched “Kamala HQ,” tapping into Brat summer vibes and queer-adjacent trends. But what Kamala’s campaign tried to coordinate, TikTok users are doing for Melania unprompted. Her detachment and slim to nothing online presence makes her the perfect canvas for shitposters to use CapCut and project their own lore onto her.
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One of the iconic moments in these edits is her infamous 2018 line, “I’m working my ass off on the Christmas stuff... who gives a fuck about Christmas decorations?” This leaked quote symbolizes what many users feel is her disdain for the performative aspects of political life. In the comments, people joke that she just wanted to marry rich and chill, but now she’s stuck playing First Lady—for the second time.
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Unlike other public figures, Melania’s social media has always been sparse and impersonal. Her posts as First Lady felt autogenerated—like that soulless 3D render of a stock American flag she used as her Twitter banner. Her profile focused on formal events, offering zero personal insight. But this detachment only deepens her mystique, letting fans craft their own version of her inner life through absurd, shareable TikTok portrayals.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Trump family stays active online—Ivanka even got a birthday shoutout from Kim Kardashian. So why is Melania so under the radar? It could be tied to European social media norms. Unlike in the U.S., where #relatable oversharing builds your personal brand (shoutout capitalism), in Europe, social media focuses more on staying connected with people you already know than chasing likes and sponsorships.
This TikTok phenomenon has me revisiting the way traditional media mocked Melania during the 2016-17 Trump campaign. Outlets focused on things like her 2000 GQ nude photoshoot—a shoot that, to be fair, captured peak pre-9/11 glamour and early New Millennium aesthetics. Today, grassroots efforts on TikTok are giving her autonomy and reframing her past as part of her journey. No longer is she just “Trump’s inappropriate wife” or “the model.”
A big element playing into this TikTok phenomenon is the reclamation of the term “diva.” Tbt to when it was used to label women as difficult. Now, it celebrates girlies who unapologetically assert their power, boundaries, and POVs. The edits capture what feels like Melania’s indifference to public opinion, her refusal to fit the picture-perfect First Lady mold, and her quiet defiance. She’s been deemed DIVA asf.
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The most intimate glimpse we’ve gotten of Melania on social lately is from her new book—a collection of iPhone photos she took as First Lady. In a Fox News promo, the anchors awkwardly flip through her filtered iPhone pics while Melania gives the most literal and minimal commentary. They close with:
“Turns out First Ladies are just like us—you take photos on your iPhone!”
If you want a window to her soul, are curious about her deeper meaning, or wonder what she’ll bring over the next four years, just head to her Twitter and stare into those piercing eyes.
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