It is fair to say that Melania Trump experiences a level of misapplied scrutiny not seen by her predecessors. While it is appropriate to judge a first lady by her own words and actions, it is out of place to criticize her for the behavior of her spouse. Despite this common sense, members of the media and electorate routinely ridicule our current first lady simply because she is married to President Trump. This is wrong.

During her time on the 2016 campaign trail and in the last few years at the White House, Melania has shown herself to be a classy woman who is deeply committed to the country, and especially the youth. Melania exudes a measure of empathy that should be commended. Recognizing her strengths as a nonpolitical representative of our country does not require that you support, or even like, President Trump.