From public policy to high fashion to family ties, Trump is keeping alive parts of the former first lady\u2019s legacy even as President Donald Trump\u2019s administration alters other aspects.<\/p>\n
Obama made it acceptable for first ladies to shun the confining, jewel-toned suits that her predecessors wore like uniforms, and her successor is embracing that same free-wheeling fashion sense.<\/p>\n
During President Trump\u2019s first overseas trip in late May, the current first lady stepped off of Air Force One in Saudi Arabia wearing a long-sleeved, black jumpsuit accented with a wide, gold belt. A former model, Mrs Trump has worn a number of sleeveless and belted outfits since, almost always paired with towering heels.<\/p>\n
She has kept Mrs Obama\u2019s vegetable garden, and shown interest in women\u2019s empowerment, military families and children\u2019s issues. Mrs Obama championed all as first lady. But where Mrs Obama frequently hosted public events in the garden to encourage healthy eating, Mrs Trump has yet to hold an activity there.<\/p>\n
Next month, Melania will lead the US delegation to the Invictus Games, an Olympics-style competition for wounded military personnel. The Obama White House helped promote the games after Britain\u2019s Prince Harry created them in 2014.<\/p>\n
On the family front, the first lady\u2019s parents \u2014 Viktor and Amalija Knavs \u2014 spent time at the White House after their daughter officially moved in, in June. They spent Father\u2019s Day weekend with the Trumps at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.<\/p>\n
The Knavs live in New York and aren\u2019t expected to join their daughter in the White House. Michelle Obama\u2019s mother, Marian Robinson, lived in the White House during the eight years that Barack Obama was president to help care for her granddaughters.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe really did admire Michelle Obama very much,\u201d Myra Gutin, a Rider University professor and author of \u201cThe President\u2019s Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century, said. \u201cMaybe she\u2019s following in those footsteps and is expressing her admiration by doing things that, if they aren\u2019t the same, are similar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Admiration for Michelle Obama\u2019s legacy is a bit harder to find elsewhere in the administration.<\/p>\n
In his first major act in office, agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue partially rolled back federal rules the former first lady championed as part of her healthy eating initiative. Schools now will have more time to cut the amount of sodium in meals. The department will also continue to waive the requirement that all grains served must be 50 percent whole grain.<\/p>\n
The Food and Drug Administration also has postponed introduction of a redesigned food label to help consumers quickly see how many calories and added sugars are in packaged foods and beverages. The agency also delayed a requirement for restaurants and grocery and convenience store chains to post calorie counts for prepared foods. Mrs. Obama had pushed for both changes.<\/p>\n
Stephanie Grisham, the first lady\u2019s spokeswoman, said Melania has \u201cgreat respect\u201d for her predecessors and, when possible, considers their issues or projects and makes \u201cher best effort\u201d to continue them.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is an individual with her own iconic style and has been staying true to herself in this new role,\u201d Grisham said.<\/p>\n
On the surface, the two first ladies wouldn\u2019t appear to have much in common.<\/p>\n
One is a Slovenia native and former fashion model who speaks several languages. She is the second first lady born outside of the US. The other is a native of Chicago\u2019s South Side, holds degrees from two Ivy League universities and was a lawyer and a hospital executive before she became the first black first lady of the United States.<\/p>\n
But the first ladies share at least one common interest: not to cause political headaches for their spouses.<\/p>\n
Jean Harris, who teaches political science and women\u2019s studies at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, said Mrs Trump knows she can follow in Mrs Obama\u2019s footsteps because \u201cshe\u2019s not going to get criticized for that kind of stuff because it worked for Michelle, even though her husband\u2019s administration is backtracking on some things.\u201d<\/p>\n
An early sign of Melania\u2019s admiration for her predecessor came during her speech at last year\u2019s Republican National Convention, which included two passages that were similar to those in a speech Mrs Obama had delivered at the 2008 Democratic convention.<\/p>\n
A speechwriter for Donald Trump\u2019s organisation took the blame for the overlap, but said Melania Trump knew the material had come from Michelle Obama. \u201cA person she has always liked is Michelle Obama,\u201d the speechwriter, Meredith McIver, said at the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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