FROM DAILY MAIL: Melania Trump chooses to speak rarely – but when she does, the world listens.
This was no more clear than earlier this month when the First Lady played a central role in Donald Trump’s peace talks with Vladimir Putin. Although Melania did not join Donald in Alaska, her presence was deeply felt in the form of a letter that was delivered to Vladimir Putin by her husband.
Melania, mother to Donald’s youngest son Barron, urged the Russian president to ‘singlehandedly restore’ the ‘melodic laughter’ of the children caught in the conflict and end the war in Ukraine.
Born behind the Iron Curtain, the Slovenian-American knows first-hand the brutality inflicted by Russia on eastern Europe. Her letter made headlines around the world.
What made Mrs. Trump’s intervention noteworthy is the break from her typical low profile in the public sphere. She maintains a supportive role, but especially during Trump’s second term, she is making less than half the public appearances (19) as she did during Trump‘s first term (40) at this point in the term.
Although her lower profile sparked negative vitriol about her marriage, an insider says President Trump and his first lady have a very normal marriage.
“I think that a lot of people underestimate how normal of a couple they are. He listens to her and seeks her counsel,” the insider said. “She only wades in when she really will go to the paint on something – and she really cares about kids.”
Melania’s concern for the well-being of children is at the top of her list of causes. In her letter to Putin, Mrs. Trump said, “In today’s world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them — a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future.
“Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter.”
According to the Ukrainian government, around 19,500 children have been deported and/or forcibly removed from their homes to Russia or Russian-occupied territories. Around 1,500 have been returned.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Mrs. Trump “for her attention to one of the most painful and difficult issues of this war – the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia,” adding, “we deeply appreciate her compassion.”
“This issue lies at the heart of the war’s humanitarian tragedy – our children, broken families, the pain of separation,” Ukraine’s president continued. “Her voice matters, and her care gives strength to this cause.”
Trump has revealed that he listens to his wife as he navigates the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
“I tell the first lady, ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today — we had a wonderful conversation.’ She said, ‘Oh, really? Another city was just hit,'” Trump said in July.
Later, speaking about Melania’s thoughts on the war in Ukraine, Trump told reporters, “She would love to see this end, she says it very openly, very proudly, and with great sorrow because so many people have been killed.”
And it’s not just Ukraine Mrs. Trump is concerned for. Asked about his wife’s view on the war in Gaza, Trump told reporters last month, “She thinks it’s terrible.”
“And she sees the same pictures that you see, that we all see. And I think everybody, unless they’re pretty cold-hearted – or worse than that, nuts – there’s nothing you can say other than it’s terrible when you see the kids.”
Mrs. Trump is also turning her attention to domestic children. At the beginning of this administration, she advocated for victims of pornographic deep-fakes as she pushed The Take It Down Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation aiming to end revenge porn in high schools.
Yet Mrs Trump is not taking as much of the spotlight nor is she attending the same number of events as her predecessors, First Ladies Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. She’s also chosen to have a much leaner staff. The Daily Mail points out that Mrs. Trump has just five full-time staffers, a far cry from Jill Biden’s 20. But the difference may be less about choice and more about trust after the “bitter betrayals Melania faced after Trump’s first term.”
From the Mail:
Stephanie Grisham, who served a short time as White House Press Secretary and didn’t hold a single press briefing while in that role, spent much longer working for Melania. After January 6th, 2021, Grisham turned on her former employers and aired out Melania’s dirty laundry for the whole world to see in a tell-all book.
After the publication of Grisham’s memoir, Melania Trump’s office told the Washington Post that the book was ‘an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House. Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump.’
Another former top Melania aide, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who was a close friend of the lady for 15 years, also shockingly betrayed her trust.
Winston Wolkoff secretly recorded conversations with Melania and then released them for the world to hear. The leaked segments contained instances of the first lady complaining about White House Christmas decorations and also about the rhetoric around migrant children. The former aide was then sued by the Justice Department for an alleged breach of a non-disclosure agreement.
Mrs. Trump is said to have tightened her inner circle this term, but she’s not shying away from her role, as evidenced by the fierce official portrait she revealed in January. In it, her choices of fashion, pose, and facial expression reveal a tough fighter who is ready to roll up her sleeves and take action.
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The White House releases the official portrait of the First Lady @MELANIATRUMP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Sbu5B5x8xO
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) January 27, 2025
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