Something very interesting happened last week when President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden flew down to Florida to witness firsthand the damage done by Hurricane Ian.
No, it wasn’t that Biden toured with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a possible preview of the 2024 presidential contest.
It was Jill Biden’s shoes.
An eagle-eyed Twitterer caught the fact that Jill Biden was wearing high heels on the tour, posting a picture of her along with one of former first lady Melania Trump, who also wore heels when she toured damage in Texas during her husband’s term.
“Only one of these photos garnered wall to wall press coverage about the First Lady’s outfit choice,” Ben Goldey tweeted.
No one said a word about Jill’s shoe choice, but hoo boy did the media go crazy when Melania wore them.
“Melania Trump, Off to Texas, Finds Herself on Thin Heels,” The New York Times wrote on August 29, 2017.
“When is a shoe not just a shoe?” Vanessa Friedman wrote.
“When it is a pair of very high, needle-thin heels worn by the first lady of the United States on her way to the site of a natural disaster. Then it becomes a symbol for what many see as the disconnect between the Trump administration and reality; another example of the way in which this president and his family continue to define ‘appropriate’ their own way; and an excuse for partisan name-calling,” she wrote.
Vogue piled on in a piece headlined: “Melania Trump’s Hurricane Stilettos, and the White House’s Continual Failure to Understand Optics.”
“While the nation is riveted by images of thousands of Texans wading with their possessions, their pets, their kids, in chest-high water, desperately seeking refuge; while a government official recommends that those who insist on sheltering in place write their names and social security numbers on their arms, Melania Trump is heading to visit them in footwear that is a challenge to walk in on dry land,” Lynn Yaeger wrote.
It went on and on.
“Melania Trump Gets Backlash for Wearing Heels to Help Hurricane Victims,” Harper’s Bazaar wrote. “Melania Trump Wears Her Stilettos to Tour Houston Flood Zone, No Joke,” Hollywood Reporter wrote.
And writer Kenzie Bryant wrote in Vanity Fair, “Who Wears Stilettos to a Hurricane? Melania Trump.”
But Bryant’s piece included an “update” (not correction, mind you). “Update (August 29, 2017 at 1:12 p.m.): Melania Trump changed en route into more sensible footwear….”
So wait, she wore heels walking from the White House to the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn and changed her footwear on Air Force One?
That’s right. She changed her whole outfit and donned a pair of white Adidas sneakers for the hurricane damage tour, according to Inside Edition.
What is most interesting about it all is that Jill Biden got very different coverage, showing the double standard of the liberal media.
“Jill Biden Gets Sharply Suited With Striped Bow Pumps for Florida Visit After Hurricane Ian,” Footwear News wrote.
“When it came to footwear, Biden completed her look with a set of whimsical pumps. Her pointed-toe style — now a signature of hers as the first lady — appeared to feature pink and yellow floral uppers with a ruched texture, triangular toes,” the site wrote.
But the conservative site The Free Beacon gave Jill the Melania treatment. “Who Wears Heels to a Hurricane? Dr. Jill Biden,” the headline said. “Tone-deaf doesn’t even begin to describe the first lady’s wardrobe choice,” said the subhead.
The piece also included its own “update”: “UPDATE: Dr. Jill was still wearing the same flashy heels after landing in Florida to survey the hurricane damage. (At least Melania had the decency to change into sneakers.) By contrast, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R., Fla.) wife Casey wore sensible flats.”
So to sum up, Jill Biden actually wore high heels to tour hurricane damage while Melania Trump just wore them on the helicopter and plane before changing into “sensible footwear” — and the media blew up Melania!?
Same as it ever was.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.
