Melania Trump has spoken out about what she describes as “efforts to silence” her husband, former President Donald Trump, while also slamming the Biden administration for the high cost of living in a new promotional video for her upcoming memoir, told The Daily Mail.
In a rare public statement, the former first lady shared a short video on Sunday, where she criticized the state of the nation under President Biden, though she refrained from mentioning his name directly. Melania Trump, 54, voiced her concerns about how the 2020 election has impacted the country’s quality of life and geopolitical stability.
“The 2020 election results changed our lives forever,” she said in the video, as text appeared on the screen. “It impacted our quality of life, cost of food, gasoline, safety, and even the geopolitical landscape.”
The country has indeed faced rising inflation under President Biden’s leadership, while international conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas crisis have dominated headlines.
Melania Trump went on to say that the U.S. is “more divided today than ever before” and expressed growing concerns over freedom of speech, pointing to how her husband has been treated. “It has become increasingly apparent that there are significant challenges to free speech as demonstrated by efforts to silence my husband,” she added.
This reference to free speech concerns comes after Donald Trump faced legal challenges, including a gag order imposed during his Manhattan hush money trial. He was convicted of 34 felony counts in June, and Judge Juan Merchan extended parts of the gag order to limit his attacks on individuals involved in the case. Trump, 78, was fined $10,000 for violations of the order and was threatened with jail time for any further breaches.
Additionally, Trump’s social media accounts were deactivated following the January 6 Capitol riot, though he has since regained access to platforms like Twitter and Facebook, according to BBC.
Melania also used the video to promote her memoir, Melania, which is set to be released on October 8. She explained that her goal is to provide “the truth” and to address what she perceives as misrepresentation during her husband’s time in the public eye. “As a private person who has often been the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation, I feel a responsibility to clarify the facts,” she stated.
The memoir is available for preorder at $40, and Donald Trump’s third bid for the White House, now against Vice President Kamala Harris, is scheduled for November 5.