Neither the first lady nor the second lady hold positions that are filled by political appointees.
- The GOP posted photos on its official Instagram account celebrating the women President Donald Trump has appointed to high-ranking positions as a tribute to Women's History Month.
- The list included First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence, neither of whom hold positions that are filled by political appointees.
- The Trump administration has the lowest number of women serving in top positions since former President George W. Bush during his first term.
The GOP on Friday posted a set of photos to its official Instagram account celebrating some of the women President Donald Trump has appointed to "senior-level government and campaign positions" as part of a tribute to Women's History Month.
"Contrary to mainstream belief, @realdonaldtrump has appointed more women to senior-level government and campaign positions than previous administrations," the caption read. "He's empowering ALL Americans with his winning agenda. Take a look at some of these leading ladies. #WomensHistoryMonth"
On that list were First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence, neither of whom hold appointed positions.
The list also included: Ivanka Trump, the president's eldest daughter and senior adviser; Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary; Nikki Haley, the US' ambassador to the United Nations; Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education; Ronna Romney McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee; Kellyanne Conway, a senior counselor to the president and Trump's former campaign manager; Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and Linda McMahon, who leads the Small Business Administration.
The first and second lady's inclusion on the list didn't go unnoticed by some Instagram users.
"Wait. So are you trying to say that he appointed the first and second lady? You know that's not accurate, right?" commented one user.
"It's wonderful that he appointed a wife for Mike Pence. #blessed," wrote another.
A third chimed in: "Maybe you'd like to try again. How about a list of women who's [sic] name isn't trump or pence. I'll wait here. .."
Recent data also contradicts the assertion that Trump has appointed more women to high-ranking positions than his predecessors. The Center for American Women and Politics found that women hold just 22%, or five out of 23, of the Cabinet-level positions in the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, 30% of former President Barack Obama's cabinet consisted of women during his first term, and 35% in his second term. The last time fewer women filled the highest-ranking positions in an administration was during former President George W. Bush's first term, when just 19% of his cabinet appointees were women. In his second term, that number rose to 24%.