After 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency — in which he has faced a steep learning curve — first lady Melania Trump is more popular than her husband in opinion polls, a fact he has publicly congratulated her on.
In what has always been an ill-defined role, Melania, 47, has begun shaping what kind of first lady she wants to be.
She has been living in New York at Trump Tower while the couple's 10-year-old son Barron finishes the school year.
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Fashion critics have praised the former model's composure and choice of clothing, particularly the Jackie Kennedy —style powder-blue outfit she wore on inauguration day, along with her love of coat dresses, Christian Louboutin shoes and Gucci sunglasses.
Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a historian of first ladies, told CNN: "Melania Trump is, to my imagination, emerging as rather a Mona Lisa of first ladies because it is by her appearance and her posture that she seems to signal a strong impression.
"It's a centred quality, an independent quality."
With the arrival of the symbolic milestone of 100 days in power yesterday, a cold, hard reality is setting in for the billionaire who promised supporters he would "win, win, win" for them.
At this stage of his presidency, Trump is the least popular leader in modern US history — a stark contrast with his wife.
The 70-year-old president, whose election victory unleashed a shockwave around the world, still clings to the take-no-prisoners, unpredictable, impulsive style that made him a property mogul and reality-TV star.
But the one-time anti-establishment candidate, who promised to "drain the swamp" in Washington, appears to have recognised — with a mix of naivety and craftiness — that he has one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
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