Melania Trump, the wife of Republican presidential candidate and former chief executive Donald Trump, faced public scrutiny immediately upon her debut speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, which drew charges of plagiarism. Since then, she has appeared to reject the tradition that a presidential spouse must engage actively in public roles. During a rare appearance at the Republican National Convention in July, she showed affection to her husband and waved to delegates but refrained from speaking.
Now, she’s breaking her silence.
With weeks left before the November 5 presidential election, Melania Trump is releasing a series of videos in advance of her self-titled memoir, addressing topics such as her nude photographs, motherhood, and the media. The timing is significant since, until Election Day, she remains a potential first lady. Her future marketability may hinge on the election’s outcome, as American voters will decide between her husband and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and adviser to Melania Trump who supports Harris, believes Melania is capitalizing on the period before the election. “Her market value is gone if she is no longer a prospective first lady,” Wolkoff stated. “If Harris wins, I believe people will want to move on.”
Melania Trump’s memoir will be released only weeks after two assassination attempts on her husband. She described him in a July 14 statement as “the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.” From the outset of the family’s political journey, Melania Trump, 54, has signaled her willingness to break with norms unapologetically.
“I have my own mind,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2016. “I am my own person, and I think my husband likes that about me.”
Like anyone releasing a memoir, Melania Trump seems to care deeply about public perception. She begins her story with a grievance, saying in the memoir trailer on her website, “As a private person who has often been the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation, I feel a responsibility to clarify the facts. I believe it is important to share my perspective,” which she calls “the truth.”
In the trailer, grievances unfold against dramatic background music. She questions the media’s scrutiny of her nude photos from the 1990s, which were acknowledged during the 2016 campaign. She also criticizes the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022, an effort to recover classified documents allegedly retained illegally by Trump. Trump pleaded not guilty, and a judge dismissed the case, a decision under appeal. Melania Trump claims the FBI searched through her personal belongings and warns Americans of potential privacy invasions.
“I never imagined my privacy would be invaded by the government here in America,” she says over sorrowful music.
In another video, she addresses criticism from the 2020 Rose Garden renovation, highlighting her perceived responsibility to respect tradition and preserve its grandeur. She also discusses the fulfillment motherhood brings her.
Financially, Melania Trump appears to be securing her future. Donald Trump’s financial report in August revealed that she earned $330,000 from the sale of NFTs and $237,500 for an April speech to the Log Cabin Republicans in Palm Beach, Florida. Notably, she delayed moving to the White House in 2017 to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement, according to Mary Jordan’s 2020 book, which the Trump White House condemned. The delay was officially attributed to waiting for their son Barron to finish the school year.
Her books will be published through Skyhorse Publishing, known for its controversial authors. Melania’s representatives reached out to several major New York publishers, but negotiations stalled, and Trump herself did not participate in discussions. While major publishers worked with previous first ladies like Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, it seems Trump settled for Skyhorse.
A Skyhorse spokesperson declined to comment on the negotiations, and the Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comments.
Melania Trump stands out among U.S. first ladies, although her tenure is marked by controversies such as the Access Hollywood tape incident, her husband’s impeachment trials, and her “Be Best” campaign—which some critics argue pales in comparison to initiatives by previous first ladies. Historian Robert Watson noted that Melania’s “unforced errors,” such as her Rose Garden renovation and wearing a jacket with the message, “I really don’t care, do u,” after visiting detained children at the U.S.-Mexico border, have tarnished her legacy.
“One of the cardinal rules for a first lady is to do no harm … in this respect, Melania comes up short,” Watson said in an email. “She will not be remembered in a way that so many beloved first ladies have been remembered.”
