(AFP) – As first lady, Melania Trump was a cipher to Americans. Now, with her husband weeks from possibly securing a return to the White House, her glossy memoir “Melania” still leaves more questions than answers. The former model who immigrated from Slovenia and married then-Manhattan-playboy and tycoon Donald Trump in 2005 generated one big headline by using her 182-page book to reveal a strong pro-choice stand on abortion rights.
“A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” the former first lady writes. “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.” It’s a bold statement for the wife of a man who says his signature victory as president was naming the Supreme Court justices who scrapped the longstanding national right to abortion under Roe v Wade.
Why Melania Trump, 54, went public with this right ahead of the November 5 election — in which Democrat Kamala Harris seeks to cast a Trump victory as hellbent on further abortion clampdowns — is unclear. She has barely appeared publicly during his campaign. So, was she showing independence? Or, instead, was she helping her husband with centrist voters by muddying his anti-abortion policies? Melania Trump does not answer that or many other questions in the $40 book.
Its publication follows a laundry list of other family products sold in the election run-up — from a gold Donald Trump watch and golden Donald Trump shoes to a Bible and a cryptocurrency announced by the former president and his sons.
– Election denial – Melania Trump backs her husband’s unprecedented refusal to acknowledge he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, calling the vote-counting process “a mess” — despite no evidence for this — and saying, “Many Americans still have doubts about the election to this day.” She also repeats a previous claim that she was unaware a mob of Trump supporters was violently storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to halt certification of Biden’s victory — because she was busy with White House remodeling.
“My team was already behind schedule and focused on the task,” she writes. The claim contradicts former top aide Stephanie Grisham, who has said she tried to get her boss to issue a statement asking for the insurrection to stop — and received in response a text message reading simply: “no.” Melania Trump also uses the book to repeat reliably Republican talking points on the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Failing to mention the name of George Floyd, whose murder by police sparked the unrest, she says the protests against racially charged police abuse “caused widespread destruction and harm to businesses and communities.”
– ‘I REALLY DON’T CARE’ – The book includes a lengthy photo insert, featuring images from her childhood, of her early life with Donald Trump and their family, and their time at the White House, including many from their state travels. The photo spread also features a picture from her 1997 ad campaign for Camel cigarettes. She calls out media personality and actor Rosie O’Donnell — who has a longstanding feud with Trump — for triggering speculation that her son with Donald, Barron, might be autistic. The incident left her “furious” and fueled her drive to tackle cyberbullying, the former first lady says.
She entirely leaves out the numerous scandals engulfing her husband, including claims of sexual assault and his conviction this year on fraud charges stemming from a sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels in 2006 — when Melania Trump was with their newborn Barron. She presents herself as an immigrant success story — the tale begins as she leaves her modeling career in Europe and her family in Slovenia for the bright lights of Manhattan.
“My personal experience dealing with the trials of the immigration process opened my eyes to the difficulties faced by all who wish to become US citizens,” she writes. She touches on the incident that saw her wear a fatigue-style jacket emblazoned with the words “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” on a journey to the Texas border to see detained migrant children. The jacket was aimed at “the media,” not the kids, she insists.
Speaking to a panel on Fox News Tuesday as part of the book’s promotion, Melania Trump was asked if she would have still married Donald Trump if she’d known then he would become president. She paused. “Huh,” she said, as she and the panelists devolved into laughter. “That’s an interesting question.” She didn’t answer.
– Maggy DONALDSON
© 2024 AFP
