$Melania: tech pioneers in the East Wing

With the launch of her own cryptocurrency, Melania Trump has joined the ranks of first ladies who embraced technology to promote their initiatives and set themselves apart.

The net worth of just six guests of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th exceeded $1 trillion. Nearly $900 billion of that total was held by just three: the world’s richest man, Elon Musk; Amazon’s Jeff Bezos; and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

And yet, narratives about the creeping oligarchy in the United States competed with the coverage of Melania Trump’s striking inauguration day outfit, underscoring the influence a president’s spouse holds over the American psyche.

Like presidents, First Ladies are products of their times, shaped by contemporary ideas, values, and technological advancements. After exploring how technology has influenced the Oval Office, we now turn our attention to the East Wing.

Crypto lady: Melania Trump (2017-2021, 2025- )

Melania Trump returns to the White House with none of the awkwardness surrounding her move the first time around. Her comeback follows the publication of a new memoir, Melania, the launch of a crypto meme coin, $Melania, and a $40 million Amazon deal for a documentary, which is yet to be named, but could we suggest… Melania?

Mrs. Trump’s new-found confidence – and the apparent use of the position to enrich herself – contrasts with the visible uneasiness that shaped her first term as the first lady. Following her husband’s presidential win in 2016, she seemed uncomfortable with the prying eyes of the public, at least until she learned to use it to her own advantage.

Her smacking the hand of her husband a year into his presidency was her first big viral moment, showing the public she had an independent personality. Some attempts at shaping the public discourse through such viral episodes were more successful than others. Her infamous “I Really Don’t Care” shirt that she wore while visiting a detention center for migrant kids is still a source of speculation to this day.

In the interview with Fox News, Mrs. Trump said that “people didn’t accept me” during her first term, which may have led to her signature “Be Best” campaign that addresses the challenges of social media use and cyberbullying.

She said she intends to expand her “Be Best” campaign after returning to the White House. This time, industry titans are likely to take her efforts more seriously, given their newfound support for her husband.

Social media influencer: Michelle Obama (2009-2017)

From the start of her term in the White House, Michelle Obama recognized the importance of connecting with people where they are – and that was increasingly online. Her initiatives, such as “Let’s Move!”, leaned heavily on digital tools to reach younger audiences.

In 2009, the White House under President Barack Obama made its first posts on Twitter (rebranded to X after Elon Musk takeover years later) and Facebook, while Mrs. Obama made the first Instagram post as first lady in 2013. She is the first first lady to actively use social media, where she promoted healthy lifestyles and higher education.

She enlisted celebrities like Beyoncé, partnered with Apple and Google, and appeared on shows like Carpool Karaoke to promote her initiatives. While the results of some efforts were mixed – the child obesity rate of nearly 20% is far from the 5% target set by “Let’s Move!” for 2030 – this media savviness helped to solidify Mrs. Obama’s own star power.

Mrs. Obama spoke extensively about the technology’s impact on young people after her time in the White House, telling TheGrio in 2023 that it had a negative impact on their mental health. To counter that, she suggested prioritizing human connection and reiterated her viral “when they go low, we go high” message.

It was also important to set boundaries, Mrs. Obama said, something she appears to have decided to do by announcing she would not participate in Trump’s inauguration. Of course, the Trumps set that precedent after both refused to attend Biden’s inauguration in 2021, claiming the election was rigged.

Internet champion: Hillary Clinton (1993-2001)

Hillary Clinton as the first lady of the United States was an early advocate for digital inclusion, pushing for internet adoption through libraries and schools. Her contribution to the digital transformation of the 1990s included computer literacy initiatives and efforts to introduce modern technology infrastructure in American schools.

This was a fitting role for the first lady whose husband is credited with bringing the internet to the White House. However, her day-to-day use of nascent technology was limited, as it was still not that common as a tool of communication at the time.

This changed dramatically when she became secretary of state in 2009 and got more than 62,000 emails during her four-year term. It later turned out that Mrs. Clinton used her private email for both personal and work affairs instead of setting up an official line – a controversy that likely cost her the presidency.

This hit Mrs. Clinton particularly hard as she was seen as a technologically savvy official. She continued to advocate for internet freedom across the world as secretary of state, arguing that “cyber space, after all, is the public square of the 21st century.”

During her presidential run, which she lost to Donald Trump in 2016, Mrs. Clinton was described as “surprisingly – almost shockingly – clueful” when it came to her tech policy. Technology was also an important part of an education agenda that she said she would pursue as president, much of it a continuation of her work as the first lady.

Television face: Nancy Reagan (1981-1989)

In the 1980s, television viewers enjoyed more choices than ever before, thanks to the rise of cable and new networks. By the middle of the decade, television sets were in use for an average of over seven hours a day, making TV-watching, as described by the media at the time, “far and away the most popular leisure-time activity ever.”

With smartphones still years away and social media a non-existent concept, children were just as glued to the television sets as their parents – an opportunity seized by Nancy Reagan, the first lady for much of the 1980s, to spread the message behind her “Just Say No” campaign.

As the defining initiative of her tenure, it was part of the ongoing US war on drugs and aimed to discourage children from using recreational drugs by just saying “no.” While professional advertising executives created the slogan, Mrs. Reagan often credited its origins to her response to a schoolgirl in 1982 during a visit to a California school, who asked what to do if offered drugs by her peers.

In addition to a series of PSA commercials, with guest appearances from the likes of Clint Eastwood and popular DC superheros, Mrs. Reagan also appeared in over two dozen talk shows, co-hosted an episode of Good Morning America, and starred in a documentary on drug abuse as part of her campaign.

Mrs. Reagan’s message was criticized as oversimplistic and stigmatizing, and the efficacy of her campaign questioned. It still solidified her reputation as an activist first lady reacting to the most pressing national issues – albeit selectively. Despite her huge public influence, she chose to ignore an HIV/AIDS epidemic, earning a label of “the first lady who looked away.”

Radio fan: Grace Coolidge (1923-1929)

The Roaring Twenties ushered in a new era of optimism and modernity, introducing technologies like cars, motion pictures, and radio broadcasting to a broad audience. Radio, in particular, redefined the presidency's relationship with the public.

Grace Coolidge, who served as First Lady for much of the decade and occasionally represented her husband, President Calvin Coolidge, during public appearances, is credited with helping bring the White House into American living rooms.

She is the first first lady who listened to the radio and supported her husband through the first live broadcasts from the White House. She was also aware of technology’s power to shape public perceptions. Mrs. Coolidge did not shy away from the cameras, with her pictures appearing frequently in newspapers, but she declined interviews. Her first words on air came after her husband’s farewell speech as president, when she simply remarked, "Goodbye, folks!"

Mrs. Coolidge remained interested – and promoted the use of – new technologies after her time in the White House, especially following her husband’s death in 1933. Newly independent, she learned how to drive and, in 1936, took a flight in an airplane, something her husband had barred her from doing while she was first lady.