Ah, I thought you meant Chloe, the fashion label, hence my reference to Zara.

Anyway, again, Melania's people claim there was no "statement" so all the speculation (if statements...) is irrelevant. And anybody who believes that Melania Trump makes bold statements in support of her husband and his policies hasn't been following recent events...

Absolutely, it's her choice. The entire problem is that her choice is tone deaf to the trip she was embarking upon. Fashion makes a statement, but that statement is open to interpretation according to the environment and appropriateness of the situation. Remarkably, I believe this article in Elle sums it up best...

https://www.elle.com/culture/career-...hildren-visit/

The OP did not criticize Melania for what she wore.
Your post does not answer the question "Do these two even talk any more?"; presumably you agree they do not

Melania is part of the overall distraction. Get people riled up, outraged enough and they will ignore everything.

Read George Lakoff if you want to understand this better.

This is the best description of Trump I‘ve seen....

Your president is a stunt queen who manufactures drama so he can look like a hero when he “fixes” it.

Original text here
https://www.theroot.com/your-preside...ama-1826996925

Trump talking to Melania's spokesperson? Not sure they would need to ever talk to each other, given how Trump is busy denying the policy of 'family separation at the border' which he inherited from Obama and how he is plotting peace with North Korea.

This constant suggestion that there is discord in Trump's marriage relates more to voyeurism than anything else if you ask me. Just over a week ago, Trump was shaking hands with Kim Jong Un but now we are back to tabloid-level discussions. Trump derangement syndrome is real; he lives rent-free in your mind

While I am sure they have at least some communication when related to his kids or campaign (even if through an intermediary), I think it is clear to all that Melania hates her husband with a passion. I suspect that the moment he stops being president that she will look to begin or at least plan divorce proceedings and revert to her maiden name so that she has a shot at happiness without being stained by him for the rest of her life.

I also think that this experience will empower her to become a bit of a figurehead for women's rights and various charities.

Price of bourbon and Levi's to soar as EU hits back at US, new tariffs start today!

Source

Strange headline as 99% of Levi's are manufactured outside of the US so presumably under country of origin rules would not face tariffs?
Prices of genuine US bourbon will be hit.

If Trump is supposed to be against the "Deep State", why is he still alive?

How much bourbon does the EU even import?

Wonder if Trump will go through with his threat to place tariffs on motorcars? Germany will sh!t themselves if he does.

Military

Remember back in the 1990s, when in Switzerland foreign spirits were much more expensive than domestic ones?

It was actually the Swiss distilleries that supported the dismantling of those tariffs as they were found to be counter productive. Consumers confused price for quality and this led to overall negative perceptions of domestic spritits. Today it's the cheap muck that is mostly foreign and the Swiss distillers have moved into a more premium segment.

The mid to high end spirits market is pretty price resiliient. Pereceptions of which brands are good and which aren't are fairly imprinted and thus price resilient. This is why many Scottish distillers (South African owned) have been able to take the mick over the last years without it hurting their core market.

Tariffs played an important role in arm-twisting the Chinese, eventually leading to negotiations with NoKo. I suspect he is trying the same with the pansies in the EU. Deal with Iran next?

Good question.

I would have thought the US imports much more Scotch than it exports Bourbon. Definietly price-wise and probably even volume-wise.

Jack Daniels deosn't count as Bourbon

Actually Trump inherited the policy of 'family separation at the border' from Bush, not Obama.
In 2005, the Bush administration launched Operation Streamline.
But do not let facts deter you.

What was new was the Trump administration's blanket policy to prosecute all illegal border crossers, including family groups, which created the crisis that Trump is struggling to resolve.

It looks like Trump will have to start the "catch and release" program again

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the head of the union representing Border Patrol agents, said
"We're going to have to release (families) under what's called the catch-and-release program," Judd said.
"If we can't hold the children more than 20 days, therefore we can't hold the parents more than 20 days."
Source

Incidentally he also said ""The vast majority of the individuals that we encounter are very polite, very respectful individuals," he said. "It's about 20% that we deal with that have criminal records."

So contradicting the more rabid statements of the Right and Spanky.

Reported to the US Secret Service!

Sorry mate, if you read my post as a dig at Melania's fashion sense then you have serious comprehension problems. I am about the least fashionable person on the planet and wouldn't dare try and tell an international supermodel what suits her and what doesn't.

As I think you know, and are disingenuously pretending you don't (you are after all almost of PhD intellect), my gripe was with the message Melania was displaying. If it helps, had Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt or Barack Obama been wearing it, I would also have said it was a daft message to wear, whilst meticulously avoiding criticising their sartorial elegance.

Obama was Trump's predecessor or am I in a new timeline again? By definition, Trump inherited everything from Obama. So, Bush did 'Operation Streamline', huh? Why did Barack 'the second coming of the lord' Obama keep it? Or is that Trump's fault too?

The crisis you talk of was manufactured by the mainstream media. The situation already existed under Obama:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/photos...18-6?r=US&IR=T

Even worse: Obama Administration Placed Immigrant Children With Human Traffickers:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/di...n-traffickers/


Facts, eh?

Who knows, but it gives me a good excuse to stock up on the Colonel Taylor, just in case!

Yeah, I hated the way Obama conducted the Vietnam war, it was a disgrace.

No doubt Swiss retail prices will rise in sympathy with the EU.