Netizens react as Melania Trump wears Monique Lhuillier gown

US First Lady Melania Trump wore a silk gown by Filipino designer Monique Lhuillier to the Ford’s Theatre Gala, drawing both praise and criticism from netizens.

Lhuillier herself posted photos of the first lady last Monday on her Facebook Page with the caption “Elegant in silk!”

One photo showed US President Donald Trump holding her hand as they exited the stage.

The post has since received almost 500 likes or reactions. Some posted about how the beautiful gown matched the “classy” and beautiful first lady while others criticized Lhuillier for letting the controversial first lady wear her gown.

“Ugh! I love you and I wish you wouldn’t dress this family,” one Facebook user commented. But another said, “Monique, I love you more.”

Another user gave a thumbs down emoji after posting that Lhuillier is “a daughter of immigrants.”

Several designers have refused to dress Melania Trump because of her husband’s controversial decisions and rhetoric. Some of them used to design outfits for former first lady Michelle Obama.

According to Vogue, among the fashion designers who said they won’t dress the new first lady are Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Christian Siriano, Naeem Khan, Derek Lam and Sophie Thelleat.

Meanwhile, Melania Trump had worn dresses from Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana. Tommy Hilfiger also defended the first lady, saying any designer should be proud to dress her. KS/JE

source: technology.inquirer.net

President Donald Trump acts swiftly at dawn of new era

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump assumed power Friday with a fiercely nationalistic vow to put “America first,” taking a stinging swipe at the legacy of his predecessor hours after reciting the oath of office.

Hundreds of thousands of people stood on the rain-splattered National Mall to see the 70-year-old Republican billionaire be sworn in, and deliver a stridently populist call-to-arms.

Trump promised to lift up the nation’s disenfranchised and those who felt betrayed by the political elites, declaring with vindication that “the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”


“From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land,” Trump said, promising an end to business-as-usual in Washington. “From this moment on, it’s going to be only America First.”

Adhering to his vow to immediately start dismantling the healthcare reforms passed by outgoing president Barack Obama, Trump signed his first executive order in the Oval Office, targeting Obamacare.

It commands government offices to grant all possible exemptions to limit the “economic and regulatory burden” of the Affordable Care Act, as a prelude to a full repeal.

As the day’s ceremonial rituals drew to a close, Trump and his wife Melania stepped out — the first lady stunning in an off-the-shoulder ivory gown — to lead the dance at one of the string of glitzy inaugural balls being held across the capital.

The pair slow-danced in a close embrace to a version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” before they were joined by Vice-president Mike Pence and his wife Karen, and both families’ children.

“Well, we did it,” Trump told the revelers. “We won. And today, we had a great day.”

“This was a movement. And now the work begins.”

Power to the people 


During his inaugural address, Trump vowed that his presidency would usher in a new political era.

“We are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people,” he said.


Moments earlier, the incoming US leader had placed his left hand on a bible used by Abraham Lincoln and recited the 35-word oath spoken since George Washington.

The popular turnout was visibly smaller than for Obama’s two inaugurations, in 2009 and 2013, with sections of the mall and bleachers along the parade route left nearly empty.

Throngs of Trump’s opponents also converged on Washington.

Most of their protests — by an array of anti-racist, anti-war, feminist, LGBT, and pro-immigration groups — were peaceful, but sporadic violence marred the day.

Several hundred masked, black-clad protesters carrying anarchist flags smashed windows, lit fires and scuffled with riot police blocks from the parade held in Trump’s honor, with at least 217 people arrested for vandalism.

Even the peaceful protesters were intent on spoiling Trump’s party — letting out a deafening roar as the presidential limousine rolled past.

“Not my president! Not my president!” they yelled, as the pro-Trump crowd in nearby bleachers chanted “USA! USA!”

‘This carnage stops here’

For Trump’s critics, there was disbelief that a man who 19 months ago hosted “The Apprentice” reality TV show is now leader of the free world — sworn in with a 37 percent approval rating, the lowest on record, according to a CBS News poll.

Public interest lawyer Renee Steinhagen, 61, came from New York to join the protests.

“I’m doing this to express resistance to the change that await us,” she said. “This administration seems more extreme than any other. This is a simple act of resistance. It’s better than staying at home.”

Trump’s inauguration caps the improbable rise of the Manhattan real estate magnate who has never before held elected office, or served in government or the military.

Rather than appealing to desire to bridge political divides and lift Americans’ gaze to the horizon, his first address to the nation was deeply unorthodox.

Trump painted parts of America as a dystopian hell, with mothers trapped in poverty and “rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape.”

“This American carnage stops right here and stops right now,” he said.

It was a deliberate and striking contrast from the uplifting message of Obama, who was among the dignitaries in attendance.

Obama and his wife Michelle departed the Capitol by helicopter minutes after the swearing-in, turning a page on eight years of Democratic leadership in the White House.

Alliances

A first two Trump cabinet members were sworn in after being confirmed Friday by the US Senate. Both are retired generals: Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

For the next few weeks the White House plans a series of daily executive orders to roll back Obama’s agenda.

Trump has also vowed to re-examine long-running alliances with Europe and in Asia.

“We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.”

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Inaugural cheers, fireworks: Trump sweeps in for his big day

WASHINGTON — With fireworks heralding his big moment, Donald Trump swept into Washington Thursday on the eve of his presidential inauguration and pledged to unify a nation sorely divided and clamoring for change. The capital braced for an onslaught of crowds and demonstrators — with all the attendant hoopla and hand-wringing.

“It’s a movement like we’ve never seen anywhere in the world,” the president-elect declared at a celebratory evening concert Thursday night with the majestic Lincoln Memorial for a backdrop. To the unwavering supporters who were with him from the start, he promised: “You’re not forgotten any more. You’re not forgotten any more.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called out, and then fireworks exploded into the evening sky.

Trump began taking on more trappings of the presidency during the day, giving a salute to the Air Force officer who welcomed him as he stepped off a military jet with wife Melania at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington. Later, he placed a ceremonial wreath at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

At a luncheon in a ballroom at his own hotel, he gave a shout-out to Republican congressional leaders, declaring: “I just want to let the world know we’re doing very well together.” House Speaker Paul Ryan, he said, will finally have someone to sign legislation into law. Then Trump veered into the territory of the unknowable to boast his Cabinet selections had “by far the highest IQ of any Cabinet ever.”

Just blocks away, the White House was quickly emptying out. President Barack Obama had his final weekly lunch with Vice President Joe Biden and got in a few final official acts, cutting the sentences of 330 inmates and placing a call to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence, in a tweet, called Inauguration Eve “a momentous day before a historic day,” as security barricades and blockades went up around Washington in preparation for Friday’s swearing-in at the Capitol.

“We are all ready to go to work,” Pence said. “In fact, we can’t wait to get to work for the American people to make it great again.”

Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he’d be putting on his “favorite DHS jacket” and taking to the streets to inspect security preparations for the inaugural festivities.

He told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that areas where inaugural crowds will congregate will be “extra fortified this year with dump trucks, heavily armored vehicles to prevent anybody who’s not authorized from being in the area from driving something in there.” He said there was “no specific credible threat” related to the inauguration.

Trump’s public schedule for the inaugural celebration began at Arlington, where he and Pence stood at attention as a bugler played taps at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Trump’s wife, children and grandchildren silently looked on.

From there, Trump shuttled to a celebratory welcome concert on the steps of Lincoln Memorial that ended with fireworks filling the sky.

The concert, open to the public, offered headliners including country star Toby Keith, soul’s Sam Moore and rockers 3 Doors Down. But not singer Jennifer Holliday: She backed out after an outcry from Trump critics.

“This is some day, dear friends,” actor Jon Voight told the crowd, casting Trump’s impending inauguration as evidence of divine intervention after “a parade of propaganda that left us all breathless with anticipation, not knowing if God could reverse all the negative lies against Mr. Trump.”

The crowd sent up a cheer when the giant screens flashed video of Trump singing along as Lee Greenwood delivered his signature “God Bless the U.S. A.” Trump declared such a concert had a never been done before. In fact, a number of past presidents have staged inaugural concerts among the monuments.

Tom Barrack, the chief architect of Trump’s inaugural festivities, said Trump would show the world that “we can argue, we can fight and we can debate,” but then the nation unites behind one president.

Trump, though, still had an urge to rehearse particulars of the long, 18-month campaign, from its early days when he claimed “a lot of people didn’t give us much of a chance” to the final weeks when his rallies took him to “state after state after state.”

Spokesman Sean Spicer said the president-elect was still making “edits and additions” to the inaugural address he’ll deliver at Friday’s swearing-in.

Never mind about Trump’s gilded private plane: He made his Washington entrance on a Boeing 757 that is part of the fleet of military planes that become Air Force One whenever the president is aboard. The president-elect, who came to Washington without any press on his plane, was joined on the trip by a gaggle of children, grandchildren and other members of his extended family. Also spotted: bags of dresses and formal wear for the coming days’ festivities.

At the luncheon, Trump made sure to work in a plug for his hotel, saying, “This is a gorgeous room. A total genius must have built this place.” Reporters covering Trump’s remark were removed from the room before the president-elect finished speaking.

Ebullient Trump fans were ready for a three-day party.

“We’re hoping for good weather and hoping for some unity,” said Jon-Paul Oldham, a firefighter who came from Thomaston, Connecticut. He said everyone should want Trump to succeed.

“Wanting him to fail is like wanting the plane to crash but you’re on the plane,” Oldham said.

It does appear it may rain on Trump’s parade.

With rain in the forecast, the National Park Service announced that it was easing its “no umbrella” policy for Friday, allowing collapsible umbrellas along the parade route and on the National Mall.

But Trump was unfazed, telling donors at an event Thursday night that if “it really pours that’s OK, because people will realize it’s my real hair. Might be a mess, but they’re going to see that it’s my real hair.”/rga

source|: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Did Melania Trump ‘Rickroll’ in speech?

CLEVELAND, United States—Did 1980s pop star Rick Astley make an unwitting cameo appearance in Donald Trump’s wife Melania’s speech at the Republican convention?

It may not be as serious as allegations that her speech plagiarized First Lady Michelle Obama, but a number of people are also seeing in her lines a reference to Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

The Slovenian-born model said of her billionaire husband on the convention’s opening day Monday: “He will never, ever give you up. And, most importantly, he will never, ever let you down.”

Such sentiments are common in speeches by political spouses but her sentences happen to closely mimic those in the chorus of Astley’s 1987 smash hit.

The song has had an unlikely comeback in recent years as an online meme known as “Rickrolling” in which unsuspecting internet users receive links to the video for “Never Gonna Give You Up,” with the tidily dressed English singer swaying his hips.

A number of social media users juxtaposed Ashley’s song and Melania Trump’s speech, leading some to become true believers that the aspiring first lady was Rickrolling the convention in Cleveland.

Scrutiny has turned to Melania Trump’s speechwriter after her remarks contained striking similarities to the address by President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle when she addressed the 2008 Democratic convention.

“My truther theory: Melania’s speechwriter slipped in a Rickroll to let us know they were tanking it on purpose,” New York hip-hop radio host Jay Smooth tweeted.

Others felt some immediate effects from the online story.

Ireland-based Twitter user @brassafrax wrote: “I’ve had Rick Astley stuck in my head all day. Thanks a bunch, Melania Trump.”

“Never Gonna Give You Up” has been watched more than 224 million times on YouTube, an extremely high number for a nearly 30-year-old song.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Melania Trump: prime-time debut tarnished by plagiarism

Melania Trump — until now only a minor presence on the campaign trail — found herself in the midst of an embarrassing plagiarism controversy Tuesday after a prime-time defense of her husband Donald that appeared to be lifted in part from a speech given by Michelle Obama.

No sooner had the poised, 46-year-old former model delivered her speech to cheering delegates at the Republican National Convention than the unmistakeable similarities to a passage from Obama’s speech to the 2008 Democratic convention came to light.

In both passages, the women are introducing themselves to the American public by speaking of the values that have shaped their lives.

“My parents impressed on me the values: that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise. That you treat people with respect. They taught me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son,” Melania Trump said.

“And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

In her speech, Michelle Obama said:

“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.

“And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

“Fragments”    

Trump’s senior communications adviser, Jason Miller, issued a statement that sidestepped the plagiarism question while not denying it.

“In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking,” he said. “Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success.”

The speech was the highlight of a chaotic opening day of a Republican convention that is set to formally nominate her husband as the party’s presidential candidate later this week.

A beaming Trump personally introduced his glamorous, European-born wife to the cheering delegates gathered in Cleveland, breaking with tradition by appearing before his actual nomination.

“It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud!” the billionaire tweeted afterwards.

It was a prime opportunity for the potential first lady to step out of her husband’s shadow and tell her immigrant story before the thousands of delegates in the hall, and millions of Americans at home watching on television.

She used the occasion to take some of the rough edges off her combative husband, who has roiled the campaign trail with inflammatory attacks on Muslims, Mexicans and his many political rivals.

“He’s tough when he has to be, but he’s also kind and fair and caring,” Melania Trump said, describing her husband as “intensely loyal” to family, friends, employees and the country.

“If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he’s the guy,” she said.

Glamorous life

Born Melanija Knavs in Slovenia — then part of Yugoslavia — to a fashion-industry mother and a car-salesman father, she studied design and architecture before leaving for Milan and Paris to launch her modelling career.

That brought her to the United States in 1996, where two years later she met Donald Trump. She later became his third wife.

On Monday night, she said becoming a US citizen, in 2006, was “the greatest privilege on planet earth.”

Her American experience has certainly been far removed from that of the average immigrant.

Her Twitter account — inactive since Trump declared his candidacy — reflects the privileged lifestyle of a jet-setter traveling between a lavish New York apartment and residences in Florida.

She has tweeted photographs from high-society gatherings and major sporting events, as well as recollections of her red-carpet saunters and charity functions. In each image, Melania appears impeccably dressed.

When Donald and Melania married in January 2005 in Florida, the cost of her Dior dress was estimated at $200,000.

Among the invited celebrities was Hillary Clinton, this year’s likely Democratic presidential nominee.

Initially, Melania did not seem to be entirely on board with the idea of her husband launching a White House bid.

Trump once admitted Melania would have been content as the wife of a billionaire businessman and reality TV star.

“She said, ‘We have such a great life. Why do you want to do this?'” Trump told The Washington Post.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net