Searching for a scandal the way a crackhead hunts for crack, the media decided that the real story of the natural disaster ought to be Melania Trump's shoes. Because that is what the media is now.
Melania Trump wore high heels while getting on Air Force One. The media howled that she was heading to a flood zone while wearing high heels. Never mind that she was still far from the zone and was just boarding a plane. Then she landed in Texas, wearing sneakers.
And that was also bad.
The Washington Post, where democracy, decency and sanity die in darkness, dedicated an entire article to the topic of Melania Trump's shoes.
There was no pretense about Melania Trump's heels. But sometimes, a little pretense helps - Washington Post
Let me translation that from Orwellian to English. Everything Melania does is wrong. Since she's a Trump. It was wrong when she wore heels. It's wrong when she wears sneakers. It's wrong when she wears a FLOTUS cap.
She was still wearing black trousers, but they were paired with a white shirt and sneakers. She still had her sunglasses, but her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She also was wearing a black baseball cap that said “FLOTUS” in white letters. The cap was like a hedge against her blending into the crowd. A defense against any possibility that for just a split second she might seem regular. She is not like you, or you, or you, it says. She is the first lady.
As oppose to Michelle Obama who routinely blended into crowds? Is the First Lady, under Secret Service protection, likely to blend into the crowd? Maybe she should have worn a hoodie? But that too would have been wrong.
"The chance to tell an uninterrupted narrative of care and concern had already been missed. This was just a costume change for another fashion moment," the Washington Post sneers.
But of course.
Step 1. Pick on your target
Step 2. If they don't respond, accuse them of not caring, lack of empathy, tone deafness
Step 3. If they do respond, accuse them of being calculating and manipulative
This is mean girls media gaslighting. And it's constant.
Of course Michelle Obama never bothered making the trip at all, either wearing heels, sneakers or her usual patented shower curtain dresses, but pointing that out was racist. And off limits. Not at all like complaining about Melania Trump's footwear.