Melania Trump and the Flight From the Christmas Tree - two minutes fifty that say more about this White House than any press conference

Melania Trump appeared in front of the White House on Monday, glanced briefly at the Christmas tree, said “beautiful” - and was gone again. Two minutes fifty. No enthusiasm, no interest, just a routine ticking off of duty before she disappeared into the residence hallway as if someone had whispered “decor interview.” The scene looked as if the First Lady had been pulled out of a warm room, walked once around the carriage, and immediately released again. A few mechanical smiles, a cautious stroke of the horse, a look into the cameras - and then the retreat. Anyone who blinked missed the appearance.

Melania’s relationship with Christmas has been documented for years. Her famous words about why she had to do “this damn Christmas stuff” at all hang like an archival note over every fir tree that arrives at the White House. And that is exactly what one felt this time again: the holiday may come, but preferably without her. Other First Ladies used this moment to bask in the spotlight. Melania, on the other hand, moves as if she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone - but also doesn’t want anyone to endure her presence for too long. A presence like a ghostly duty protocol that appears in designer boots and disappears immediately afterward.

Politically, this mini appearance has no significance. Symbolically, however, all the more. While Donald Trump produces new dramas every day, Melania shows how little fits together in this White House: a president who constantly delivers too much and a First Lady who prefers to deliver nothing at all.

Maybe this is her quiet commentary on all the chaos. Maybe it is simply Melania. But two minutes fifty are sometimes enough to describe an entire climate. And this one is frostier than any December day in Washington.