Donald Trump held his first State of the Union address for his second term on Monday. While raging against Democrats, praising veterans, and promising a bright future for the American people, he also unexpectedly took a swipe at his wife, Melania Trump.
Depending on which side of the aisle you ask, Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was either a huge success or a fiasco. The speech was the longest in modern history, lasting approximately one hour and 48 minutes.
During his State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump didn’t just speak about what he wanted for America; he also called Democrats “crazy” and claimed he had overseen a “turnaround for the ages” regarding the economy.
The 79‑year‑old also took a moment to talk about his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. He didn’t just discuss politics — he made a joking comment about how popular Melania is.
Donald Trump’s swipe at Melania during the State of the Union address
He praised what she has accomplished over the past year — from work on foster care to AI issues — and highlighted her new Amazon documentary. However, he paused to make a humorous remark about how people seem to like her more than him.
“Nobody cares more about protecting America’s youth than our first lady — she’s now a movie star, can you believe it? Who would’ve believed that?” Trump said. “Over the past year she’s had an incredible impact, implementing AI legislation, advancing a landmark executive order on foster care, and securing 30 million dollars to launch the Melania Trump foster youth to independence initiative. It’s tremendous.”
Then he made the lighthearted joke that got people talking:
“It’s a really tremendous thing that happened and she got a lot of bipartisan support. She gets much better bipartisan support than I do. I get none, she gets a lot. Some day you’re going to have to tell me how you did that!”
Melania Trump approval rating
In other words, Trump was saying that Melania receives more support from both Republicans and Democrats than he does. Many people viewed it as a gentle tease rather than a serious criticism of his wife.
Meanwhile, polls show Melania isn’t overwhelmingly popular with voters at the moment. A recent YouGov survey found her approval rating is currently negative, lower than that of some former first ladies.
According to the survey, Melania has a -16 approval rating, which is lower than the previous first lady, Jill Biden (-9). Still, Melania has a higher approval rating than Hillary Clinton, who polled at -17.
Other first ladies have considerably higher approval ratings. Nancy Reagan stands at +25, Lady Bird Johnson at +23, Rosalynn Carter at +32, and Barbara Bush at +21. Michelle Obama received +21, and Laura Bush got +19.
What did you think about Donald Trump’s State of the Union address? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
