According to senior Republican sources, First Lady Melania Trump wanted to light up the White House in rainbow colors to mark Pride Month this year. However, the idea was reportedly shot down.
Speaking to the Washington Blade, the two sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claim the idea was opposed by the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
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Meadows has been a long-time opponent of LGBTQ equality measures, including same-sex marriage, which he once warned would lead to a “constitutional crisis”. The insider sources say Meadows, who became chief of staff in March, was against any demonstration whatsoever of LGBTQ support from the White House for Pride Month.
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In 2019, President Trump marked Pride month with a tweet but did not do so this year. It’s unclear if Meadows was instrumental in opposing the idea of the rainbow lights or if others were involved in the decision.
Instead of the Pride Month gesture, and in an effort to woo LGBTQ voters in the run-up to the November election, Melania Trump instead filmed a video for the Log Cabin Republicans in which she expressed shock that anyone might think her husband held anti-gay views.
“I was shocked to discover that some of these powerful people have tried to paint my husband as anti-gay or against equality,” she said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Donald loves helping people, and he loves seeing those around him and his country succeed.”
Advocacy group GLAAD is keeping a running count of attacks the Trump administration has made on LGBTQ people since taking office. It currently stands at 181 anti-LGBTQ statements or measures over the 1,401 days of his (soon-to-end) Presidency.
The White House has previously been lit in rainbow lights. The Obamas allowed it to happen when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in 2015. On that occasion, then-FLOTUS Michelle Obama even snuck out of the White House to see supporters of gay marriage celebrating in front of the White House and to check out the lights.
Neither the White House nor the First Lady’s office have responded to the claims she wanted rainbow lights for Pride Month.
Related: Melania begrudgingly agrees to decorate White House for Christmas one last f’ing time
Cam
This is a lie. Melania is trying to plan her post White House, Post divorce life and so is sending out her staff to drop “Anonymous” leaks to friendly media CLAIMING this.
We all heard her tape where she was mocking kids in cages, we all saw her wear a jacket that said she didn’t care when visiting kids in cages, and nobody was saying Melania gave one single crap about LGBTQ people until she knows she’s about to be kicked out of the White house..
Ivanka’s PR people tried the same stuff when they dropped fake leaks that she was supposedly trying to moderate her father’s views.
Don’t fall for it..
jbrown84
Totally agree!!!
TedV
I call bullshit. Between now and January 20th we’ll see Melania, Jarvanka and all the other Trump Trash planting fake stories about what they wanted to do, tried to do, argued for, argued against, proposed, opposed, etc., all in an effort to resuscitate their images. The stories will all be lies, all planted by the collaborators themselves. Don’t buy it – call bullshit. Call them OUT. What they stood by and allowed to happen must NEVER be forgiven or forgotten.
Creamsicle
Right. Because everyone is suddenly going to forget who was in charge and blame it all on establishment Republicans. I wonder how many staffers will try to come out with yet another tell-all book framing themselves as the last voice of reason left in the West Wing, and how much worse things would have been without them.
Liquid Silver
This seems unlikely. Maybe she was really arguing she wanted a red dress and Donnie wanted to touch something first?
HankHarris
I totally believe this – she knows that her hair and makeup look like shit and needs to get back into the good graces of the gays to fix that ratty dye job….
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
When Trump got inaugurated and she disappeared off the scene my first thought was she was renegotiating her prenup agreement and I don’t blame her. That useless, talentless family is setting themselves up for a reality series Life After the Oval Office with each one pocketing no less than fifty million each, including Baron. Go for it honey, you may as well. You are the first First Lady who publicly brushed aside or snatched away from her husband while know the cameras were rolling and didn’t give one damn about it.
PS. Yes kids, I know Hillary did it to Bill while they were in Israel but it came no where near as obvious as Melania’s rejection and humiliation of having to stand next to Donald. That part had to be insisted upon by his lawyers no doubt.
alex1435
This is total B.S.
amanwithanedge
BS
Jim
Such bullshit. She’s as big a thug as he is.
Onecaddy13
@Cam, where do you get your info? You’re just a seem to know it all windbag and baiter. While a few comments are true because you know how to read, but stop with the FALSE info and LIES. (The comments you’ve made here for several months, (billion dollars in debt, Divorce, insider leaks) can only be obtained by insiders, not Google, or the hypocrisy of the news and cable outlets. We get it, you hate them all, but I hope you make the same vile hateful comments when you don’t agree with Biden’s policies. So for now, STFU until 1/20/21.. And please, don’t start your response with right wing troll, etc; etc; you know, the same lines you use when someone calls you out. My god your sickening.
scotshot
Troll much?
Sod off.
Hdtex
Trump’s personal sphincter licker weighs in…
Kangol2
Yeah, whatever, Melania. You’ve stood by this monster till the end, so you’ll have to live with that, whatever the consequences.
As for the larger issue of LGBTQ rights and equality, some of you may have seen that the state of Indiana has decided that it wants to strip away rights from gay parents, and is now asking the US Supreme Court to allow that to happen. (Google “Slate Indiana Asks the Supreme Court to Let It Strip Rights From Same-Sex Parents”).
With Don the Con’s appointee Coney Barrett now on the US Supreme Court, it could very well happen, but given all the anti-gay, far-right judges Don the Con and the GOP have packed onto the courts, there’s open hostility and outright legal opposition to LGBTQ rights throughout the federal judiciary!
Essie
I just read that article (thanks) and it is chilling and scary.
Joshooeerr
That message on the back of her jacket was the most accurate representation of Melania and her commitment to any cause. She really doesn’t give a shit.
blackhook
Please! Have some respect for our lovely First Lady! In Melanie’s own words…
“I come to America with genius Visa, to help America better. First I do the Racist Birther. Then I make the BeBest! So…BeBest every America! Then I get the hoax virus but it do not matter I am very rich. The peoples ask me, who did I vote? Maybe I vote the Trump, that’s who! Now the Trump lose, so I go shopping!”
Tad
Not for one moment do I believe this story. She is nothing and I can’t wait until that entire dreadful family is off the public stage forever. They have brought nothing but shame to the highest office in the land and it will take years to clean up the corruption, sloppiness and incompetence of their time in the Wite House.
ScottOnEarth
Total lie. This woman is as bigoted as they get. She’s probably having BS stories like this leaked because she’s going to be a single woman out the world, hated by all decent people.
flowitheblow
As I’ve heard others say, why hasn’t she done this pride idea beforehand (as in the previous 3 years)? so you know this is BS.
Preppy1000
Just unbelievable! How stupid do they think people are?
yup5hioop
I’m afraid I love Melania now since she said “f Xmas” if you can’t trust a wh-re from Slovenia who can you trust? Unlike the rest her and Mooch get my pardon.