"And it wasn’t surprising that when it came time for the annual tradition of reading a picture book to children at Washington, D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital, the least-enthusiastic first lady in living memory did not bring her A game," Zeisler wrote.
Melania has read to children audiences in the past, showing illustrations to kids. But some have argued that "hating Christmas is simply Melania Trump’s thing, much the same as Nancy Reagan’s thing was astrology and popping into 1980s sitcoms to remind kids not to do drugs," Zeisler explained.
Yet something has seemed off.
"But the vibes were darker this year, quite literally: Melania showed up to the event dressed less for Yuletide than for the funeral of a second-tier Batman villain," Zeisler wrote. "She settled into a chair in front of an enormous Christmas tree with the book 'How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?' and proceeded to read it slowly and mechanically, stumbling over words and through awkward pauses. She occasionally looked up to smile, but by all other appearances was reading to herself. Most crucially, she did not once turn the book around and take a brief pause so the children could see the pictures on each page she read."
Last month, the First lady fled the White House Christmas tree reveal event in under three minutes. And during the first Trump administration, leaked CNN audio from secretly recorded conversations revealed how she really felt about the holidays and decorating. “I’m working… my a-- off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f--- about the Christmas stuff and decorations?” Melania reportedly said. “But I need to do it, right?”
After last week, it appeared there could be heightened tension between Melania and President Donald Trump.
"Against this backdrop, Melania Trump’s unwillingness to successfully conduct a Christmas storytime comes across like insult to injury — perhaps not quite on the same level as the jacket she famously wore when visiting a children’s detention center at the border, emblazoned with 'I Really Don’t Care, Do U?' but at the same intersection of stingy and cruel," Zeisler wrote. "But is it possible that the first lady’s shambolic read-along was sparked by a more timely anger? As the president oversaw a hasty demolition of the White House’s East Wing — historically the domain of first ladies — his remark that Melania had 'loved her little office' jumped out."
The First lady could simply be unhappy, the writer added, pointing to a recent report from The Cut that revealed more middle aged women have grown dissatisfied with marriage and silently checked out.
"Perhaps Melania is just matching her husband’s destructive pettiness, in which case she’s joined an allegedly growing number of women of means who opt for quiet quitting their unhappy marriages rather than divorcing," Zeisler wrote. "She’s still the first lady, but maybe she’s decided to put even less effort into the appearances, the overseas trips and smile for the photo ops demanded of her. Having never signed up for this sad charade, malicious compliance is one of the few weapons she has. (What’s Trump going to do about it, bury her on his golf course?)"
