But who is Melania Trump? “She is much more like her husband than she seems”

We can no longer count the couple’s public appearances during which her husband desperately tries to take her hand or embrace her tenderly. Scenes repeated in television news around the world and on social networks because the reaction of the former First Lady raises questions: she slaps Donald on the hand, or turns away altogether. Cold in appearance, Melania Trump is a figure as fascinating as she is mysterious. She is also so little talkative about her personal life and her career that many conspiracy theories circulate about her.

Mary Jordan, author of The Art of Her Deal : The Untold Story of Melania Trump (ed. Simon & Schuster) and journalist at Washington Postinvestigated Melania for several years. And her research reveals that behind her apparent discretion, the fifty-year-old influences Donald Trump’s campaigns, including that of 2024.

“The first First Lady to pose nude”

Mary Jordan’s interest in Melania Trump dates back to long before her husband entered the White House. It was during an editorial meeting at Washington Post, in 2015, that she began to realize her full singularity: “I realized that if Melania became First Lady of the United States, she would be the first to have grown up behind the Iron Curtain, the first not to have grew up speaking English, the first model, but also the first to pose nude. » For Mary Jordan, Melania represents a total break with traditional First Ladies, both in terms of her background and her role as Donald Trump’s wife. “I said to myself, ‘but who is this woman? She has an incredible story that takes her from a small formerly communist country to Trump Tower!’ », Explains the journalist.

In order to better understand this complex character, Mary Jordan conducted an investigation during Donald Trump’s mandate, from 2016 to 2020. She traveled to Slovenia, Melania’s native country. “When she leaves a place or people, she never looks back,” explains Mary Jordan. This philosophy sums up the way Melania prefers to focus on the future, often by cutting ties with her past. “She left Slovenia and didn’t stay in touch, the same when she left Milan and Paris. It’s rare to stay in contact with absolutely no one! » specifies the journalist. Melania’s isolation is also a key aspect of her personality. Unlike other First Ladies, she never sought to have a large circle of friends. “She was the most isolated First Lady in the history of the United States,” observes Mary Jordan.

#FreeMelaniathe hashtag that makes Melania roar

If they have been a couple since the end of the 1990s, it was not until the beginning of 2005 that Melania and Donald Trump officially said “yes” to each other from Palm Beach, Florida. However, their union has always raised questions. Mary Jordan highlights their surprising complementarity: “They are much more alike than you think. It is as discreet as it is loud and yet, in many ways, they are very similar. Both are obsessed with their image, distrustful of the people around them and share a certain taste for luxury. »

These differences in personality and behavior – at least in public – gave rise to the # movementFreeMelania, and this as soon as her husband took office in January 2017. The general public is worried about Melania. Is she happy? Is she in this relationship of her own free will? Is she a prisoner of her own marriage? The journalist affirms that this perception is erroneous: “This movement and this interpretation deeply annoys Melania. Above all, she doesn’t want to be taken for a fragile little flower. She is a happy and fulfilled woman. » Melania Trump therefore does not want people to think that she is in prison: “I make my own decisions. I am independent! » she repeated in recent days during an interview with the Fox News channel, even though she almost never gives one.

“Far from being passive or manipulated”

So, who is this “funny lady” who often seems so detached from her partner during her public appearances? “Contrary to popular belief, Melania is far from being passive or manipulated. On the contrary, she is described by those close to her as intelligent, clever and resourceful. » explains Mary Jordan.

“Melania cannot be ignored; she plays a much more important role than we want to believe,” specifies the journalist, who investigated her for years. Despite revelations about porn star Stormy Daniels * or even on her husband’s former girlfriend Karen McDougal **she continues to support Donald Trump no matter what. Their destinies therefore seem deeply linked. Melania made the choice to stay, and she does so knowingly. “I have never seen her as united and supportive of her husband as in recent weeks. At the same time, his name is Trump. His son’s name too. She loves her life,” adds Mary Jordan.

“She advises her husband on his appearance”

“She doesn’t know much about economic policies or the deal with Iran, but Melania is much more involved in decisions than we think,” continues the journalist. “The circle of people Donald Trump trusts is becoming smaller and smaller. He submits certain decisions to Melania, who shares his opinion and his instinct. » An instinct and a “radar” to which Donald Trump places a lot of value. But that’s not all.

“As a former model, Melania also advises her husband on his makeup and posture,” emphasizes the author. “The Trump spouses share an obsession with image… and a contempt for criticism,” notes Mary Jordan, who explains that the former First Lady reads absolutely everything that comes out about her (hello Melania, it’s 20 Minutes !) and her husband. “Even if she is not present at campaign meetings, she watches, she sees everything. Donald Trump’s advisers explained that they were in the car with Trump and that after a meeting, he called her to ask what she thought. She told him, “This part is better than the other. Maybe you shouldn’t do this or that.” So, Melania follows him closely. »

“In a close election, every gesture counts”

The journalist from Washington Post notes that “during the 2016 campaign, Melania remained away from the cameras until a few weeks before the end, when she was deployed to rally women around her husband. » Rebelote in 2024? The imminent release of his autobiographical book, soberly titled Melaniacould follow the same strategy. A work whose publication is planned exactly one month before the presidential election and which is already attracting a lot of attention. Mary Jordan emphasizes that this publication is part of a “carefully orchestrated marketing strategy” rather than a desire by Melania to dissociate herself from her husband. In the same interview with Fox News, Melania said: “It’s about time I told my story, there’s a lot of misinformation about me, I want to share my truth. »

This book, at the top of pre-sales throughout the United States even before its release on Tuesday, promises revelations. In particular on the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, experienced from the White House by Melania, or even on her first date with Donald Trump in the early 2000s. For Mary Jordan, this public speaking out can be a game-changer for women. “In 2016, the election that Trump won against Hillary was extremely close. And in a close election, every move counts. »