(CNN) Twenty-four hours after Melania Trump went public about her displeasure with the deputy national security adviser, the first lady's husband did her bidding and sent Mira Ricardel packing. Melania showed she knows how to play like a Trump and the President is likely none too happy about it.

Michael D'Antonio

Recapping the Ricardel story requires going back to the first lady's trip to Africa in October. Ricardel clashed with the first lady's staff over travel arrangements as she accompanied Mrs. Trump and apparently behaved in ways that bothered the President's wife so much that she concluded that the White House would be better off without Ricardel.

Although Mrs. Trump made her opinion known, the President did not act immediately. Despite the "You're fired!" character he played on TV, Trump is not someone who enjoys dismissing people face-to-face. If he went to Ricardel's superior, John Bolton, he likely met resistance. Bolton is as ornery in real life as Trump pretended to be on "The Apprentice." So it was that the matter was left to fester.

The idea that Bolton tried to protect Ricardel makes sense when you consider her reputation. Like Bolton, Ricardel is regarded as a master of bureaucratic infighting who isn't shy about letting people know how she feels. She and Bolton made for a matched pair.

In an administration where intrigue consumes inordinate amounts of time and energy, the Ricardel-first lady tussle might have remained a standoff as long as Bolton was around to protect his second-in-command. However Bolton left for Asia on Sunday and Melania Trump apparently saw her opening.

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