Melania Trump: Everything FLOTUS Said During Her First Sit-Down Interview on '20/20'
Melania Trump broke her personal air of mystery in her first sit-down interview this week.The [...]
Infidelity
Melania Trump addressed the widespread reports of the president's cheating scandals over the years, including the one with adult film star, Stormy Daniels. She said plainly that the reports are "not concern" and "focus" for her.
"I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do," she went on. "I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage."
As for her personal feelings about the allegations, Trump admitted that "it's not always pleasant, of course," but said that it had no affect of her personal self esteem.
"I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is not true," she said.
prevnext#MeToo Movement
Trump has been mostly silent on the #MeToo Movement, leading many to assume that she and her husband were at odds on the issue. In the interview, she paid lip service to the women who have come forward in the movement, though she also tried to play the side of the accused as well.
"I support the women and they need to be heard. We need to support them and also men, not just women," she said.
"We need to have really hard evidence that you know, that if you are accused of something, show the evidence," she added.
prevnextBullying
Of course, the First Lady has chosen bullying as her chosen issue to focus on, specifically cyber-bullying. In Friday's interview, she spoke about her "Be Best" initiative and identifying herself as the "most bullied person in the world."
"I could say that I'm the most bullied person in the world," she said. "One of them — if you really see what people are saying about me."
Ignoring many of the cries that her cyberbullying focus is ironic given her husband's Twitter use, she emphasized this for her platform.
"We need to educate the children [about] social, emotional behavior," she said.
prevnextPolitical Influence
The First Lady showed some good humor when it came to the rumors that she has some kind of overpowering control of her husband.
"I wish!" she said. "I give him my honest advice and honest opinions and then he does what he wants to do."
prevnextStatus of Her Marriage
Trump gave no answer to the speculation that her marriage is in trouble behind closed doors. She assured her interviewer that she and the president are happy together, despite reports of infidelity and sexual assault allegations against him.
"Yes, we are fine," she said. "Yes. It's what media speculate, and it's gossip. It's not always correct stuff."
prevnextFamily Separation
One issue on which the First Lady did unequivocally oppose her husband was the "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which led to systematic separation of children and families at the border.
"It was unacceptable for me to see children and parents separated," she said. "It was heartbreaking. And I reacted with my own voice. … I went to the border."
The First Lady added that she was not told about the policy ahead of time, saying that it "blind-sided" her. However, she said that President Trump himself was too.
"I told him that I thought it was unacceptable and he felt the same," she said.
prevnextHer Jacket
While the First Lady said that she went to the border to oppose family separation, she also had to answer for the jacket she wore at the time. She showed up at a detention center in a jacket that said "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" on the back. Melania said that this message was meant to be directed to "the left wing media."
"I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane," she said. "And it was for the people and for the left-wing media to show them that I don't care. You will not stop me to do what I feel is right."
Despite the inflammatory message on the jacket, Trump said that she wished her clothing got less attention in general.
"It was kind of a message," she said. "I would prefer that they would focus on what I do and my initiatives, than what I wear."
prevnextWhite House Staff
Finally, Trump was not shy about the people in the her husband's administration, saying that there are definitely people working in the White House who she does not trust. She declined to mention names, but seemed to indicate that her husband handles the turn over correctly.
"Well," she said, "some people, they don't work there anymore."
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