Melania Trump does hold influence over White House affairs - and she has power over her husband Donald Trump. Photo / AP
Melania Trump does hold influence over White House affairs - and she has power over her husband Donald Trump. Photo / AP
COMMENT
Mira Ricardel has officially been dumped from her senior White House position following a high-profile feud with First Lady Melania Trump.
A White House spokeswoman confirmed Ricardel has "departed the White House to transition to a new role within the administration" — without elaborating.
The incident was described as "extraordinary", "stunning" and even "dangerous", with news outlets noting how rare the outburst was for the notoriously quiet First Lady.
Jimmy Kimmel devoted a segment to it on his show last night, saying "'Be Best' is now 'Be Gone'", adding it's "very strange for a First Lady to publicly call for a member of the national security team to be fired".
The View's Sunny Hostin noted there "isn't a history of the First Lady putting out a public statement saying something like that", while co-host Meghan McCain said it made her respect Melania more.
Remember that Melania Trump won’t say anything bad about a man that slept with a woman after she gave birth and paid her 130k to keep quiet about it...
But she will fire a woman over seating arrangements on a plane.
I dunno what’s more troubling, that someone as unqualified as Melania is now calling on cabinet officials to be fired, or that America elected someone as unqualified as her husband to fill that cabinet to begin with... #WednesdayWisdom
In case you missed it, here's a short summary of what happened yesterday: Melania released a statement calling for Mira Ricardel, a top White House official, to be sacked from her position.
Her reasoning, according to The Wall Street Journal, can be traced back to repeated clashes the pair had when she went to Africa last month, with sources claiming she complained to the President that she was unhappy with how she was being treated by the aide.
Her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham released a statement saying: "It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that (Ricardel) no longer deserves the honour of serving in this White House."
There's one reason this particular outburst was so gripping.
Mira Ricardel, right, has officially been dumped from her senior White House position following a high-profile feud with the First Lady. Photo / AP
Melania is one of the most private first ladies in recent memory, a characteristic elevated all the more by her charismatic immediate predecessor Michelle Obama.
Consistent polling showed Michelle was the only figure in the White House to emerge even more likeable than when she started.
That's a hard act to follow — and judging by the past two years, it hasn't worked out great in Melania's favour. Her approval rating remain considerably lower than that of Michelle Obama and Laura Bush — largely, some analysts claim, due to a lack of visibility.
In terms of her official duties, it's often been questioned what Melania actually does. Her vague #BeBest campaign inspired public derision; she shies away from the media and rarely offers much when she does give the odd interview; and a series of unfortunate photo incidents have led many to question the state of her marriage to Donald Trump.
The much-publicised move against Ricardel was so fascinating because Melania's actions spoke for her, offering us a rare insight into her mindset.
Most importantly, the saga confirmed that we've all underestimated the First Lady's lobbying power. It turns out she does hold influence over White House affairs, and she has power over her husband — a public defiance of the perception that she wants to play as minimal a role in American politics as she can get away with.
A perception, mind you, that Melania herself has contributed to. In June, it was reported that the First Lady privately pushed her husband to axe Joe Hagin, the White House official who helped orchestrate the Singapore summit with North Korea.
When CNN asked Melania's office to confirm whether she did not like Hagin, and whether she voiced that dislike to the President, her spokeswoman said: "That's not true, she doesn't get involved with West Wing staff."
If this week's events are anything to go by, that statement was definitely false. Melania is more involved than we'd like to think.
It's worth noting that, in her brief seven-month stint in her role as Deputy National Security Adviser, Ricardel managed to accumulate a long list of enemies.
Melania Trump is one of the most private first ladies in recent memory. Photo / AP
CNN said she "developed a reputation for shouting at subordinates, plotting against White House officials she disliked and leaking stories about her administration opponents to the press".
Former colleagues and unnamed White House officials described her as ideologically driven and "obstinate".
All of this, she managed to survive. Just yesterday, Trump tweeted a photo of his administration celebrating Diwali, and she was slotted in there like nothing was wrong.
But when the First Lady cracked the whip, everything changed. Ricardel is moving out.
For her inward personality, frequent fashion faux-pas and perceived perpetual nonchalance for the important position she holds, we've all learned one thing from this.
