I think people just see Melania — and Ivanka, and to a lesser extent, Kellyanne — and think, I could never in a million years enthusiastically support the policies of Donald Trump, especially as a woman, so these women must be coerced, either physically or financially, that they have been brainwashed or blackmailed.…

All of this. If Melania Trump comes out and says Donald is abusive to her - be it tomorrow, or in 10 years time when he’s finally dead and whatever NDA she presumably signed when she married him has lapsed, then I will believe her in a heartbeat. But I find it disturbing - but dully unsurprising - that so many people…

Exactly. As much as it can hurt to see a person in a situation that I, personally, would find abhorrent, I refuse to infantalize her by attributing her words and actions to abuse. Until and unless she specifically asks for help or says that she wants out I will respect her filthy foul disgusting choice.

Right, Melania can be both treated like crap by her husband AND supportive of his racist and misogynist ideologies.

Perhaps. Still, taking away her agency is something we should refuse to do.

Actually, as a survivor of child abuse with CPSTD (the kind of PTSD you get from being in a situation with no real or perceived avenue of escape for a prolonged period of time), I think it’s incredibly important to crush that narrative. When someone is abusing you, you have a perceived sense of helplessness and loss…

I’m also getting really sick of people saying “but if he’s abusing her, she can’t leave”. Not true. Just like you, I was abused growing up. I, a kid with less resources and zero real/perceived way to escape other than college, got out. I got so far away I ended up halfway around the world. It took a huge amount of…

This made me snort. The idea of “oh shit, I’m meeting the Obamas and I haven’t bought a gift. Better stop at the bodega on my way. hmmm...they would like Hot Takis, right? Everyone likes those. Ok, done.”

And apparently all the extra security at Trump Tower has actually hurt Tiffany’s earnings (so sad, here lemme play my violin a sec). So this is probably Trump’s way of killing two birds with one stone. Give a required gift, give Tiffany’s a boost, claim that he fixed everything.

If there was any justice in this world, it would have been Trump’s tax returns in that box.

Stop calling her a Jackie Kennedy wanna- be. She’s clearly a Carla Bruni knock-off.

My brother bullied me my whole life. He hit me, threw things at me, grabbed me sexually. My parents never said a word until I kicked him in the nuts; then they lectured ME about how I should NEVER do that to a dude. WTF.

these fuckboys defend the perpetrators because they can more easily see themselves being accused (falsely or otherwise) than see themselves in a woman’s experience.

Hey! This was self-defense! Against literal months of torment. You ARE the problem.

Hehe, honestly, I’m not much of a fighting man (for some reason I hardly need it), but when in danger from a Cro-Magnon male or female, I will go for the tender, sensitive spots... Can not really wrap my head around the guys that are apparently kicked in the nuts by a comment. For crying out loud, don’t get in trouble…

I’m a man, albeit not a very big or strong one. I would have no qualms about kicking somebody big and dangerous in the balls if he came at me and mine. Years ago, a guy sped down my residential city street full of small children, and when I hollered at him, he turned around and came back to exact revenge. He was…

i’ve been kicked in the balls. it hurts. a lot.

Who the hell do you all hang out with? I mean it’s not cool in general to go around punching dudes in the balls (or anywhere else really) but it ain’t that big a deal.

Bruce Lee has a nut attack as a go-to move. Not a peep from dudes for “some reason”.

Absolutely. Another guy with balls, here. Grabbing someone’s ass isn’t acceptable. It is assault. If she wants to hit him in the face or in the balls, either way sounds like self-defense to me.