Melania Trump's annual visit to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., erupted into a viral controversy after video clips showed the first lady reading a Christmas story without turning the book to show illustrations to the young patients gathered around her. The moment, intended as a display of festive goodwill, instead triggered a wave of criticism across social media, with detractors arguing the episode reflected longstanding concerns about her public role and authenticity.
The hospital visit forms part of the traditional holiday duties performed by first ladies since the Truman administration. But the event quickly shifted away from tradition and toward intense debate online, as users circulated footage of Mrs. Trump reading How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett while holding the book entirely toward herself. Critics noted that none of the children could see the pictures, a standard element of group storytelling.
Reactions on X focused on the apparent oversight. One commenter wrote, "She is looking at the illustrations herself and not sharing them. It is really bizarre." Another posted in all caps, "DON'T THE KIDS WANT TO SEE THE PICTURES MELANIA OR YOU CAN'T READ UPSIDE DOWN?" Others used the clip to question her comfort with children, including one user who said: "It was obvious by the fact that Melania never turned the book to show children the pictures that she has never read a book to a child in her life."
Critics also homed in on her attire, noting she wore a dark outfit that one online observer said made her resemble a "funeral director." The commentary quickly broadened beyond the single event, resurfacing older grievances and shaping a narrative that extended back to past holiday controversies involving the first lady.
The renewed scrutiny revived attention to the leaked 2018 audio released by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff in 2020, in which Melania Trump expressed frustration with her holiday duties. In that recording, the first lady said: "I'm working my a-s off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f-k about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?" The resurfacing of that quote fed the online narrative that her festive engagements are more performative than sincere.
Though Mrs. Trump has spent recent weeks unveiling White House decorations and hosting military families, the online reaction to her hospital visit underscored how even minor missteps become magnified through the lens of past controversies. Viewers interpreted the reading mishap as reinforcing the impression created by the leaked tapes-of a first lady fulfilling ceremonial holiday duties under scrutiny rather than embracing them willingly.
