If Melania Trump has become known for trying to remain an enigmatic, barely-seen figure to the American public, it appears she also may cultivate an air of mystery with her own husband, as she has barely appeared by his side as he campaigns to return to the White House.
In a revealing new interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Donald Trump said that he’s not entirely sure if his wife of 19 years loves or likes him. The former president may have intended his remark to be a bit of a tender joke. But he asserted during Monday night’s interview on The Ingraham Angle that his third wife must have some regard for him, given her reaction after he was the target of an assassination attempt at a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Ingraham asked the Republican candidate about his wife’s feelings after the assassination attempt, when a lone, 20-year-old gunman opened fire at the rally, injuring Trump in the ear, killing an attendee and wounding two others.
As has become Melania Trump’s habit during the 2024 campaign, she was not present at the rally. But Trump said his wife, a Slovenian-born former model was watching a live broadcast of the event at home.
“What was Melania’s reaction, if you don’t mind my asking — I know this is very personal — when she learned about what happened on that field in Butler?” Ingraham asked Trump.
“She was watching,” Trump began to explain in a somewhat disjointed way. “I asked her that. I mean, I wasn’t there. I was on the ground. And when the world started to — like, you could talk to people, I said: ‘So what was your feeling?’”
“And she was — she can’t really talk about it,” Trump said, explaining that his wife probably saw images of “going down” and bloodied.
Ingraham surmised that the former first lady probably was “traumatized” by the images.
Trump said that was “OK, because that means she likes me.”
Ingraham remarked: “She likes you. That’s good.”
“Or she loves me,” Trump said.
“I mean, let’s say she could talk about it freely,” Trump said. “That wouldn’t be — I’m not so sure which is better. But she either likes or loves me. And that’s nice.”
Following the assassination attempt, the famously reticent former first lady issued a rare public statement, which offered a glimpse into her feelings for her husband, the Daily Beast reported.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” Melania Trump wrote. She also referred by name to their 18-year-old son Barron, over whom she has been fiercely protective.
It turns out that Melania Trump also feels protective of her husband, as she said she despaired over the “monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine” and who attempted to “ring out Donald’s passion—his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration.”
“The core facets of my husband’s life—his human side—were buried below the political machine,” Melania Trump continued. “Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”
No doubt, there have been many “best of times and worst of times” for Melania and Donald Trump. One of those “worst of times” probably includes the assassination attempt. Other trying times could include the former real estate mogul’s multiple criminal indictments in several jurisdictions, his conviction in May on 34 felony counts in Manhattan, his loss of the presidential election in 2020, the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and allegations that he had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels in July 2006, a few months after Melania Trump gave birth to Barron.
When Trump ran for president in 2016 and 2020, Melania Trump was reportedly a somewhat reluctant political spouse, though she turned up at occasional campaign events and spoke at both years’ Republican National Conventions.
For the 2024 race, Melania Trump has mostly been absent, the Daily Beast reported. She hasn’t stumped for her husband and turned down multiple requests to speak at this year’s GOP convention, or to even introduce him before he accepted the nomination. On the final night of the convention, she appeared in the audience and joined him onstage at the conclusion of the event, but her time in public was “brief and silent,” the Daily Beast said.
The only other news coming from Melania Trump is that she announced last week that she is publishing her memoir, “Melania,” sometime in the fall. Her office said the book promises to share “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.”
However, like the woman herself, other details about the book remain a mystery, including whether it will be available to fans before the Nov. 5 election. The Associated Press also said her spokesperson wouldn’t say whether she worked with a co-author, what she plans to do to promote it and what the financial terms were.