New biography on Melania Trump: "She only wanted to live in White House after marriage contract was amended"
No, Melania Trump is not in a golden cage. She does exactly what she wants. That is the statement of Mary Jordan, a Washington Post reporter. She wrote a biography about the First Lady. In "The art of her deal. The untold story of Melania Trump" she paints a picture of a glamorous woman who thinks and acts strategically, comes across as mysterious and wants to keep it mysterious.
"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize," reads the cover of Melania Trump's new biography. The author is a journalist who does political reporting for the Washington Post. She plowed through 122 interviews, which Melania conducted in five different countries.
In a 1999 interview, Melania recorded how she would behave should she ever become First Lady. Donald Trump had said he was considering running for president someday. He had just divorced his second wife and Melania was his new girlfriend. She would not become his third wife until five years later.
She doesn't want to be liberated at all. She may look more like her husband than we think.
Based on anecdotes like this, Jordan paints a picture of a woman who knows very well what she wants and is working hard. "She doesn't want to be liberated at all, according to this book", says American expert Twan Huys in "New facts" on Radio 1 (see audio below). "She stands with her husband and would even have encouraged him to run for president."
Is this a marriage or a deal?
"I don't think Melania chose her husband because of his physical appeal," Huys continues. "Of course it's about power and the ability to get yourself out of anonymity. She knew who she was working with."
Trump had a marriage contract drawn up when he married Melania. The book describes how she played it hard when Trump was elected president. “It took her three months to move from her penthouse in New York to the White House in Washington. Everyone was wondering,“ Where's that woman? renegotiate marriage contract, "says Twan Huys.
Everyone wondered: where is that woman now? She knew he needed her now.
"Of course she has also read the book by Ivana, Trump's first ex-wife. She wrote about her life with Donald, but also about the divorce. And the famous quote about it remains:" Don't get even, get everything ", Huys continues." Melania thought when he took office as president: I came as a nobody, but now he desperately needs me, because if I drop him, the whole house of cards will collapse. So according to the biographer, she said: I will not come to the White House unless the contract is changed. Apparently she succeeded. "Hence the title of the biography" The art of her deal ".
Melania's Political Ideas
Very little is known about her ideas or possible ideals. We know what other First Lady's thought was important. Laura Bush (the wife of President George Bush Jr.) committed herself to the low-literate people. She promoted reading books in children. Michelle Obama (the wife of President Barack Obama) has committed herself to fit children: healthy food and lots of exercise.
Melania has set up a campaign for children who are bullied. "But yes, she is married to the biggest bully who only uses Twitter to insult other people," says Huys, "so that has had little influence."
"Other than that, we only know that she is incredibly interested in the latest fashion, shoes and bags," sums up the American expert. "And she also has a poker face that barely shows how she is feeling. Except for that one moment after that. When she got off the plane and smashed the hand away from her husband. But about that now it is said: we have that right seen then? "
The subtle swipe was then explained as a protest against her husband's polygamy. But that is brushed aside in this book. She would stand behind her husband like a house. And she would be more like him than we think. "It is a silent force, but certainly not a weak force," Twan Huys concludes, "she has enough power."
