Melania Trump's New Book Reveals A Huge Divide Between Her And Donald
In an embarrassingly telling moment, Donald Trump recently admitted that he hasn't read "Melania," the eagerly awaited memoir by his wife, Former First Lady Melania Trump. The controversial politician may soon wish he had, though. Melania has been teasing bits of her book on her social media accounts, and up until now, the content has been relatively unsurprising. She loves being a mother to son Barron Trump. She thinks her infamous White House Rose Garden redo was great. She isn't ashamed of her nude modeling photos (they're "a celebration of the human form," as Melania explained on Instagram). The first-time author even took a quick turn into MAGA territory with an eyebrow-raising claim about her husband being censored by "cancel culture." But there's at least one section of the memoir that could create some tension down at Mar-a-Lago.
The Guardian obtained a copy of "Melania" in advance of its October 8, 2024 publication date, and in one excerpt she shared her surprising pro-choice position. "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," the former first lady writes. Melania argues that "My Body, My Choice," the slogan of the reproductive rights movement, "applies to both sides — a woman's right to make an independent decision involving her own body, including the right to choose life. Personal freedom." Doubling down, the author declares that there's "no room for negotiation" on the issue, even though her view contrasts sharply with that of her husband. It's a tricky stance to take just weeks before the presidential election.
Social media users were shocked at the former first lady's take
If he'd known his wife would make her pro-choice views so firmly and publicly known, Donald Trump's glowing blurb for Melania's book might have sounded a lot different. The divisive presidential candidate is proud of his legacy as the leader whose Supreme Court appointments made it possible for Roe v. Wade to be overturned, leaving states free to set their own laws on the contentious issue. Now, access to abortion depends on location and the circumstances of the pregnancy. Women may need to cross state lines to get life-saving care — and some have died because of the delay, or because doctors have been too scared of the legal repercussions to treat them.
Melania even supports the "extremely rare" cases of late-term abortion, which almost always occur either when the mother's life is in danger, or when the fetus has a condition incompatible with life. Donald has consistently opposed late-term abortion, and even erroneously claimed that the Democrats support the procedure even once the baby is born (per NPR). Naturally, the sneak peek of "Melania" has social media exploding. "This is what we call delicious irony," snickered one commenter on X, previously known as Twitter.
Will Melania's views help or hurt her husband at the voting booth?
Plenty of people expressed their surprise, and in some cases their disgust, at her views on abortion. "She's not the classy woman she and her husband would like you to think she is," clucked one scandalized X commenter. "I just lost all the respect I had for that woman." Others joked that Melania Trump must have plagiarized Michelle Obama (again), or that she had a ghostwriter and never saw the manuscript herself. But the majority of critics agreed her divisive opinion was just slipped in to help win over undecided voters. "She is doing this right before the election. It's all calculated B.S.," declared one such user, adding, "Melania will change her mind in November."
The former first lady notably acknowledges in her book that she and longtime husband Donald Trump do have some political differences, but she believes "in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him." Stating those views in a book that's already topping an Amazon preorder list (Melania and Hillary Clinton are currently battling for bestseller status) appears to be a pretty public challenge, but who are we to quibble?