Melania: Pro-abortion, Intervened in Migrant Child-Parent Separation Policy, and the Green Jacket Message
Plus, Jill Biden attends Mexico’s inauguration of first ‘Presidenta’
Melania Trump says she supports abortion, shares how she asked her husband to stop his immigration policy that separated migrant children from their parents at the United States-Mexico border, and explains her thinking behind the jacket she wore emblazoned with the cryptic message “I don’t really care, do U?”
The former first lady, days ahead of her new memoir being released, has been promoting her upcoming book in video snippets on social media. Today, one such snippet shared her personal stance in support of abortion that was followed by a story in The Guardian elaborating on her time in the White House and her views with passages from her new book.
First ladies’ memoirs, according to scholars in the field of First Ladies Studies, are considered a “tremendously important” primary source.
“A memoir can balance, contradict, supplement or correct records that exist and, ultimately, create a more accurate record,” says Elizabeth J. Natalle, who is currently co-writing an essay on Melania Trump that analyzes her new memoir.
On Thursday, The Guardian detailed several passages from the book it obtained before its release about Mrs. Trump’s view on abortion including the following:
“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.
The former first lady’s stance on abortion is notable since her husband, former President Donald Trump has been outspoken about the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which reversed the constitutional right to abortion that was upheld for nearly 50 years.
In a statement, Trump said, "I was proudly the person responsible for the ending of something that all legal scholars, both sides, wanted and, in fact, demanded be ended: Roe v. Wade. They wanted it ended. [...] My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case the law of the state."
Melania Trump elaborates on her view saying, “I have always believed it is critical for people to take care of themselves first,” she writes. “It’s a very straightforward concept; in fact, we are all born with a set of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives. We are all entitled to maintain a gratifying and dignified existence.
“This common-sense approach applies to a woman’s natural right to make decisions about her own body and health.”
Mrs. Trump’s beliefs, according to The Guardian, stem from “a core set of principles” that include “individual liberty” and “personal freedom,” from which there is “no room for negotiation.”
The article describes Mrs. Trump’s “legitimate reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion,” which includes danger to the life of the mother, rape or incest. She also notes that “timing matters,” writing: “It is important to note that historically, most abortions conducted during the later stages of pregnancy were the result of severe fetal abnormalities that probably would have led to the death or stillbirth of the child. Perhaps even the death of the mother. These cases were extremely rare and typically occurred after several consultations between the woman and her doctor. As a community, we should embrace these common-sense standards.”
The contradiction between Mrs. Trump’s views and the former president’s actions are not a first between a president and his wife, scholars say.
In fact, former First Lady Barbara Bush mentioned abortion in Barbara Bush: A Memoir in response to the speeches at the 1992 convention, says Diana Carlin, professor emerita of communication at Saint Louis University and co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women. “She tried to avoid being tied to a position for years and then she gave a response to a question before she arrived at the convention indicating that a platform should be broad and should avoid religious beliefs. She wrote that the ‘Barbara Bush is pro-choice’ rumor ran wild–exactly what I had tried to avoid for years."
And, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a far stronger advocate for civil rights than her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt partially because he was afraid he would lose the Southern Democrats, says Nancy Kegan Smith, retired director of the Presidential Materials Division of the National Archives and Records Administration and a co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women.
“She supported the abolition of the poll tax, and supported anti-lynching legislation, which [her husband] would not support,” Smith says. “She made her support very public.”
Immigration
When it comes to immigration, Mrs. Trump describes how she intervened in her husband’s immigration policy that resulted in migrant children being separated from their parents at the United States and Mexico border under his administration.
“This has to stop,” Mrs. Trump says she told her husband, according to the Guardian, but not before she says she educated herself on the situation. The former first lady emphasizes “the trauma it was causing these families” and notes how her husband ended the policy on June 20, 2018.
The article goes on to describe how Melania Trump reacted to reports of children “being held in overcrowded detention centers and in absolute squalor … raised serious questions about their health and well-being. The lack of a clear plan for reuniting families and the absence of a definitive policy on these separations only added to the public’s outrage. I felt strongly that the situation demanded urgent attention and action.”
Despite former President Trump’s “hardline stance on immigration,” his wife writes: “I am sympathetic to all who wish to find a better life in this country. As an immigrant myself, I intimately understand the necessary if arduous process of legally becoming an American.”
The occasional political disagreements between the Trumps were a part of their relationship Melania Trump writes, according to The Guardian. “I believed in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him. I found our discussions more productive when we could have a quiet dialogue at home, out of the public eye.”
In another split with her husband, Barbara Bush once told the press she favored banning military assault guns and then discovered both her husband and brother were against gun control, according to Natalle.
“However, President Bush later expanded the ban on importing assault weapons, so she may have had some influence on policy as they discussed their views behind the scenes,” she says.
Even Jacqueline Kennedy went ahead with her White House restoration efforts despite her husband’s and his staff privately being sensitive to the political consequences associated with what might be considered an ‘elitist’ project, according to Smith.
“Mrs. Kennedy wrote that she was ‘warned, begged and practically threatened’ not to undertake her restoration effort,” Smith says. That effort evolved into what is now the White House Historical Association.
The green jacket
Perhaps one of the most controversial images from Melania’s time in the White House was that of the former first lady stepping onto a border-bound aircraft wearing a green jacket with the words “I really don’t care, do U?” on the back that she says, according to The Guardian, was meant as a protest against anonymously sourced reporting.
The article goes on to describe the give and take between Mrs. Trump and her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, on how to answer media questions about the jacket. Melania writes, “‘It’s a message for the media,’ I said, ‘to let them know I was unconcerned with their opinions of me’ [but] she told me I couldn’t say that. ‘Why not? It is the truth.’ I disagreed with her insistence that I couldn’t say that. Ignoring my comments, she told a CNN reporter she was friendly with that it was simply a jacket, a fashion choice with no underlying message.”
The 250K interview fee
Later on Thursday, Mrs. Trump’s publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, stirred up more controversy when CNN reported that when they requested an interview with the former first lady, the publisher demanded a fee. According to CNN in an email, “Skyhorse Publishing sent a document labeled, ‘Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement’ that laid out strict terms for an interview and use of material from the book, titled ‘Melania,’ due to publish on October 8. On top of that, the agreement stipulated that ‘CNN shall pay a licensing fee of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).’”
CNN reportedly did not sign the agreement and several days later and after a separate CNN journalist asked Skyhorse Publishing about the exorbitant interview fee, the publisher said it had sent the payment demand by mistake, the article says.
Nonetheless, the idea of an interview fee from a reputable journalistic entity to speak with a first lady raised eyebrows from experts who study presidential spouses.
“A fee of any kind for an interview is not something I have heard of before,” says Anita McBride, director of The Legacies of America’s First Ladies Initiative at American University, former chief of staff for former First Lady Laura Bush, and a co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women. “But, first ladies surely have been paid well for their books.”
Natalle agreed that post-White House opportunities can be lucrative for former first ladies.
“First ladies do receive fees for writing books and making appearances, and Michelle Obama demonstrated to the public that having been a first lady pays off after the fact when she and her husband negotiated the $65 million deal with Penguin Random House,” Natalle says, adding that Hillary Clinton went on the speaking circuit after being first lady and secretary of state and earned as much as $200,000 a speech.
“So, the question of earning interview or speaking fees has a precedent, and there is no reason why women in public service roles cannot do the same as men who served in similar, high profile government roles,” she says. “This means Melania Trump is not out of step based on the trend, and, in fact, asking for fees is in line with Mrs. Trump's entrepreneurial approach to life.”
First Lady Attends Mexico’s Inauguration of First ‘Presidenta’
Representing the United States and ahead of the country’s presidential election including its own female hopeful, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Tuesday attended the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president and first woman to lead the country.
“Few country-to-country relationships are as consequential to Americans’ daily lives as that of the United States and Mexico,” Biden said Monday at a reception hosted by Ken Salazar, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico ahead of the inauguration. “I am honored to be with you tonight to celebrate the strength of the relationship between our countries—at such a historic moment.”
Sheinbaum took the oath of office on the floor of Congress Tuesday, where legislators shouted “Presidenta! Presidenta!” using the feminine form of president in Spanish for the first time in over 200 years of Mexico’s history as an independent country, according to The Associated Press.
Ahead of the ceremony, Biden spoke about the country’s anticipation of the historic event.
“There’s something special in the air this evening. I felt it as soon as I landed—a crackle of excitement to see the inauguration of the first woman president of Mexico,” Biden said.
The first lady went on to say that as President-elect, Dr. Sheinbaum, has noted, she didn’t arrive to this historic moment alone. Biden quoted Sheinbaum saying, “We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our ancestors, our mothers, our daughters and our granddaughters.”
Biden then spotlighted this historic moment on the eve of the president-elect’s swearing in.
“Tomorrow, those generations of women will arrive together at the Legislative Palace to see her take the oath of office,” the first lady said.
Sheinbaum in June captured nearly 60% of the vote leading her to victory. She was propelled largely by the sustained popularity of her political mentor, López Obrador, according to The Associated Press. She has pledged to continue all his policies, even those that strengthened the power of the military and weakened the country’s checks and balances.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to Explore the History-making Future for the East Wing Amidst the Upcoming Election in ‘The First Spouse: Melania and Doug’
In an episode for the CNN longform program The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, Anchor and former White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins will take a closer look at the history of the Office of the First Lady and who may redefine it for the next generation, the network announced this week. “The First Spouse: Melania and Doug” premieres Sunday, Oct. 6 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.
In an unprecedented election full of historic firsts, the spouses of the candidates are breaking the mold in their own right. Former first lady Melania Trump may become only the second woman in United States history to return to the East Wing for a second nonconsecutive term, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff could become the first man to ever serve in that role. In this episode, Collins examines the historically high pressure and thankless position of the first spouse, unpaid and ill-defined yet filled with scrutiny, according to CNN in a statement previewing the airing.
“The job description of the first spouse has always been ill-defined, given it really has no definition at all,” Collins said, in a news release. “Melania Trump pushed the boundaries of how first ladies in the modern era defined it. And we could be on the verge of seeing how Doug Emhoff upends the title once again by becoming the first man to occupy the role. Either way, we are in for a fascinating look at the East Wing in 2025.” View the trailer here
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