The Irony of Melania Trump's Latest Speech About Women's Empowerment

In a rare public appearance, Melania Trump delivered a speech at an International Women of Courage ceremony at the State Department on March 29, and her comments have people talking — and rolling their eyes.

The annual ceremony honors heroic women who have made an impact in their communities despite adversity. According to CNN, the first lady made no mention of the president during her speech.
Instead, her speech addressed women atblarge and the current state of the world. "We must continue once again to shine a light on the horrendous atrocities taking place around the corner and around the globe," she said. "Together, we must declare that the era of allowing brutality against women and children is over."

Since the event, there's one particular quote that left people online scratching their heads. Melania Trump said: "Wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them. However, wherever women are empowered, towns and villages, schools and economies are empowered, and together we are all made stronger with them."

As many have pointed out, her entire speech, and this quote in particular, appear to be the antithesis to her husband's administration. Though the first lady has made women's empowerment a cornerstone talking point of her new role, the president's administration actively makes the advancement of women exceedingly difficult. (And of course, there's the simple fact that Donald Trump's win kept one specific woman from advancing to a role that's, until now, only been held by men.)