Melania Trump gives rare interview stressing ‘unity’ as her husband faces hush money trial
Melania Trump has given a rare interview to Fox News urging the country to “unite” as the 2024 campaign heats up and her husband, former President Donald Trump, faces a hush money trial in New York.
The former first lady has so far shied away from the trail during the 2024 campaign but on Saturday will attend a Mar-a-Lago event hosted by the LGBT+ group the Log Cabin Republicans, focused on its get-out-the-vote programme aimed at gay voters in battleground states.
“We must unite in our effort to establish a society where equality is the everyday experience of every American,” Ms Trump told Fox News Digital ahead of the event. “Individual freedom provides a unifying set of principles, and ultimately establishes our American way.”
She added that when America succeeds, it “blossoms into a magnificent place where everyone can practice their beliefs, share new ideas, and express individualism — this is when we are our best”.
Ms Trump is working with former US Ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell – the first openly gay member of a presidential cabinet.
“If you work hard and have a little bit of luck and God’s grace, you can do anything you want in America regardless of your skin colour, socio-economic situation, or sexual orientation,” he told Fox News Digital. “We want what every American wants, to be treated equally not differently.”
He added that the Republicans have become “increasingly welcoming of gay conservatives over the last 20 years”.
“But we made the most progress when Donald Trump and Melania Trump moved into the White House,” he claimed. “Gays and lesbians are no longer reflexively leftist.”
Ms Trump had been almost entirely absent from Mr Trump’s campaign events until earlier this month. She was spotted on Easter Sunday after lunch with their son Barron. On 6 April, she attended a fundraiser with Mr Trump at the Palm Beach home of hedge fund manager John Paulson, which the former president claimed raked in $50m. She also appeared beside Mr Trump in March to vote in the Florida primary.
“She’s a private person, a great person, a very confident person, and she loves our country very much. At the appropriate time – she’ll be out there,” Mr Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press in September.
Asked what she would be working on if she became first lady again, Ms Trump told Fox News Digital: “The safety and well-being of American families remains my top priority.”
She added that it’s “essential we provide the highest level of care to our next generation, to ensure they not only thrive but reach their full potential”.
In private comments, she has called Mr Trump’s hush money trial “a disgrace” and said it’s comparable to election interference according to The New York Times.
