Soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump insisted on Monday that she is “independent” and will stand up to her husband, saying she doesn’t always “agree with what Donald is saying” and she is more than “just the wife of the president.”
During a friendly sitdown on her spouse’s favorite morning show Fox & Friends, the incoming first lady spent much of her time promoting an upcoming documentary on her return to the White House, which was licensed by Amazon for an eye-popping $40 million and directed by disgraced Hollywood director Brett Ratner.
The film project, which many see as a way for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to further cozy up to MAGA, was described by Trump as an opportunity for fans who “would love to hear more from me.” She added that she told her agent to “go out and make a deal” so she could show the day-to-day routine of her return to Washington.
Asked by host Ainsley Earhardt what would be “different” this time around when she returns to the White House, Trump didn’t offer up any policy details. Instead, she noted that she was just well aware of the layout of the actual residence.
“The difference is I know where I will be going, I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process, the first time was challenging,” she said. “But this time, I have everything — I already packed, I already selected the furniture that needs to go in. So it’s very different.”
At the same time, the former and future first lady declared that when she first came to D.C. eight years ago, “people didn’t accept” her and “didn’t understand” her the way they do now, adding that she “didn’t have much support.”
“Some people, they see me as just the wife of the president, but I’m standing on my own two feet, independent,” she continued. “I have my own thoughts, I have my own yes and no, I don’t always agree with what my husband is saying or doing, and that’s OK.”
Earhardt wondered if that meant she is able to tell the president-elect when she disagrees with him, prompting Trump to insist that is indeed the case.
“I give him my advice, and sometimes he listens,” she stated. “Sometimes he doesn’t. And that’s OK.”
In her recent best-selling memoir Melania, Trump revealed that in stark contrast to her husband and the Republican Party, she is a supporter of abortion rights.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” she wrote. “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”
Trump added: “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.”
Elsewhere in the Fox News chat, Trump also said that she would bring back her “Be Best” public awareness campaign, suggesting that the initiative against cyberbullying among children didn’t get enough support during the first Trump administration.
“I will continue with Be Best, and also I will expand Be Best. In the first administration, I didn’t have much support from anyone. I invited all of the streaming platforms to the White House, I had a round table, and I didn’t have much support from them,” she claimed. “Imagine what we could do in those years if they will rally behind me and teach the children and protect them about the social media and their mental health.”
