The bold, confident, free-thinking modern woman who may soon occupy the White House is not named Kamala Harris.
In her new No.1 New York Times best-selling memoir, Melania Trump shares a revealing look into her personal life and journey – from a childhood in small-town Slovenia, to globetrotting pursuits as a young model, to her courtship and marriage to one of the world’s most famous men.
She also corrects the record, challenges her critics and clarifies her positions on a range of issues from abortion (she’s pro-choice) to the inclusion of biological men in women’s sports (female athletes must always be ‘protected and respected’).
In fact, she sounds like many female voters grappling with the whiplash changes wrought by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s time in the White House.
The bold, confident, free-thinking modern woman who may soon occupy the White House is not named Kamala Harris. (Pictured: Kellyanne with Donald and Melania Trump at the White House in 2019).
‘The country is suffering,’ she writes. ‘We have wars around the world… The border is open and dangerous… a lot of fentanyl is coming over and killing our youth…. The economy is really not great, inflation is high.’
I’ve known and worked alongside Melania for many years, and regard her as a friend.
She has been unfairly maligned and the target of so much speculation and prevarication. That is why it has been so wonderful to see her own ‘October Surprise’, a memoir in her own words on her own timeline, showing the measured, magnanimous woman tens of millions of Americans adore.
Earlier this year, Melania and I lost our mothers just weeks apart. Even as she navigated her loss in public view, Melania made every effort to be there for me. She and President Trump called, sent flowers, handwritten notes and checked in with me time and again.
After my divorce was finalized last year, Melania showed up again, supporting me as any caring friend would and encouraging me to swing open soldered doors following a time of personal upheaval and transition.
And it was the same story when we worked together in the White House. While Jill Biden has insisted on being called ‘Doctor’, Melania was admired and beloved by the political and permanent staffers alike, asking after their children by name, welcoming them to events big and small, and treating them with inclusivity and respect.
Known as a protective and present mother, Melania now uses her memoir to call out the ‘sheer malice’ of unfunny comic Rosie O’Donnell who, in 2016, tweeted despicable and totally unfounded claims about Barron, then aged 10.
It was just weeks after Trump had stunned the world and won, and the same liberal media and Hollywood types, who perpetuated every vicious attack against him, reveled as O’Donnell’s vile lie wormed its way across social media.
It was a shock to see such naked cruelty towards a First Child, especially when so many of us had treated Chelsea Clinton and the Obama daughters like Fabergé eggs. Kids (including mine) should always be off limits.
I’ve known and worked alongside Melania for many years, and regard her as a friend. (Pictured together in 2018 visiting Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center).
Earlier this year, Melania and I lost our mothers just weeks apart. Even as she navigated her loss in public view, Melania made every effort to be there for me. She and President Trump called, sent flowers, handwritten notes and checked in with me time and again. (Pictured: Together with Trump in the White House in 2019).
But instead of going to war, Melania acted swiftly and tenderly to shield her son. She channeled maternal outrage into a first lady’s focus on initiatives centered around children’s wellness and cyberbullying awareness. Her ‘Be Best’ campaign remains a highlight of her time in office.
Melania has never been one for preening and posturing. Other first ladies used their roles to land on the cover of fashion magazines, but she did so on her own, years before, as a successful model.
Even when I’ve suggested she push back on myriad false claims made by the media or ungrateful former staffers who have returned her trust in them with self-serving lies and revisionist history, she has declined, knowing that her silence is always more powerful.
Behind closed doors, Trump has, for decades, regarded his wife as a top confidante and counselor. Whether as an international business mogul, a TV star or, lately, leader of the free world, it is Melania’s opinion that he has consistently sought.
Trump enjoys the company of plenty of friends, taking a range of advice, but he speaks of – and to – Melania in an entirely unique way. Really, he fears yet reveres her. He respects her independence, seeks her input, trusts her keen eye, sharp ear and sense of people.
I have witnessed their relationship up close, and it is one fundamentally built on mutual love and respect. Recently, as Barron was heading off for college and Melania was preparing to publish her memoir, I jokingly asked Trump how it might feel to be the second most popular man and the second most prominent author in the household. He chuckled and relented.
Melania Trump has plenty to say and nothing to prove. She is not a typical political spouse rushing to the cameras on matters that are best handled privately, or loudly offering insights or slights about her husband’s political opponents à la Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
She is an asset, a partner, an equal who is neither trying to control – looking at you, Jill Biden – nor controlled by her partner. She is what many feminists insist they are: independent, a product of her own choices, comfortable in her own skin.
She has been by Trump’s side the entire time. Though never in his shadow. In fact, from that very first moment they descended the golden escalator, she’s been leading the way.