REUTERS/Mark Kauzlarich
Melania Trump stands with her husband Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016.
- 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.
Recent data contradicts the assertion that Trump has appointed more women to high-ranking positions than his predecessors. The Center for American Women and
Meanwhile, 30% of former President Barack Obama's cabinet consisted of women during his first team, 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%.