Where is Melania Trump? | La Presse

Throughout the year, Richard Hétu informs us about the American elections in a newsletter sent on Tuesdays. His text is then reprinted in The Press+on Wednesday.

(New York) Doug Emhoff plays the role that has long been reserved for the wives of American presidential candidates to perfection.

During his speech at the Democratic convention in Chicago, the second gentleman of the United States lifted the veil on a little-known Kamala Harris. Using humor and self-deprecation, he recounted how he fell in love with her and the role she has played for 14 years within their blended family.

On the day of the Philadelphia debate, he went there not only to encourage his wife but also to reassure his supporters. “She’s ready,” he said on the sidewalk, addressing a group of Democrats, megaphone in hand, just hours before the duel against Donald Trump.

“She can sense weakness. She knows a coward when she sees one,” he added.

Between the two events, he crisscrossed the key states of the 2024 presidential election, multiplying interviews and meetings with voters in order to help his wife’s cause.

Which brings us to the question: where is Melania Trump? A question that is all the more pressing these days as a particular controversy has erupted around the presence of Laura Loomer, an extremist influencer, alongside the Republican presidential candidate.

The former first lady of the United States is not completely absent from the media or political landscape. For more than a week, she has been broadcasting short videos on X where she promotes Melaniahis memoirs which will be published on October 8.

In a video posted last Tuesday, she appeared to tap into the conspiracy theory vein by talking about the assassination attempt on her husband during a speech in Pennsylvania on July 13.

“Today, the silence that surrounds [l’attaque] “It feels heavy to me,” Melania Trump says, staring into the camera. “I can’t help but wonder why law enforcement didn’t stop the shooter before [le] speech. There is certainly more to this story than that. And we need to find out the truth.”

The video is accompanied by a link to pre-purchase Melania Trump’s book, the cover of which has not yet been revealed. A signed copy costs $75. For $250, the “collector” can get a copy with additional photos.

In another video posted Saturday, the 54-year-old former model attacked the FBI, a favorite target of her husband and his supporters.

“I never imagined that my privacy would be invaded by the American government,” she says in the video, which opens with a quote from the 4^e amendment to the Constitution prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures. “The FBI raided my home in Florida and searched my personal belongings. This is not just my story, it is a warning to all Americans, a reminder that our freedom and our rights must be respected.”

(During the judge-approved search of Mar-a-Lago, the FBI uncovered at least 300 classified documents that led to Donald Trump’s indictment of various federal crimes. The Justice Department recently appealed a decision by a judge appointed by the former president to dismiss the charges.)

According to Melania Trump’s website, her memoir will tell “the powerful and inspiring story of a woman who defined personal excellence, overcame adversity, and forged her own path.”

Never seen before

One thing is for sure: Melania Trump has been going her own way since her husband launched his third presidential campaign. She hasn’t attended any of his rallies. She hasn’t set foot in the New York courthouse where her husband’s trial in the Stormy Daniels case took place—understandably so. And while she did appear at the final night of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, she didn’t give a speech. This hasn’t been seen since 1992 by the wife of a Grand Old Party presidential candidate.

It is understood that Melania Trump has never been politically inclined. The alleged assassination attempt on her husband in West Palm Beach could prompt her to change her approach.

In the meantime, it is the presence of another woman in Donald Trump’s entourage that is attracting attention. Self-proclaimed Islamophobe, unabashed racist and proven conspiracy theorist, Laura Loomer was alongside the Republican candidate last Tuesday in Philadelphia and in New York the next day to attend ceremonies commemorating the September 11 attacks. Attacks that she has already described as an “internal conspiracy.”

That same week, Laura Loomer posted racist comments about Kamala Harris on X and amplified the false story about Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. Republican and conservative voices urged Donald Trump to ban her from his entourage.

“Mr. Trump’s association with Mr.^me Loomer is fueling voters’ fears that Mr. Trump is listening to crackpot courtiers who flatter him and play on his vanity. Is this what the next four years have in store for us? the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.

As videos and photos of the pair stuck together or embracing appeared on social media, some felt uneasy. Others, including Bill Maher, host of the HBO show Real Timejumped to conclusions.

“I don’t know why we’re sensitive to this kind of bullshit,” lamented Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, referring to rumors about Donald Trump and Laura Loomer.

Which did not stop him from asking, during the same intervention on MSNBC: “Where is Melania?”