Melania’s Secrets: A Memoir of Mrs. Trump
HeyWow Donald Trump Many contributions to American life, few have been more original than that of political oratory. A politician no longer has to use a single exclamation mark when nine are available, nor make his speech intelligible when it could be amusing. Complaining has now become a standard for divine digression. Trump says that his “woven” rhetorical structure is praised by his English professor friends, of whom there are undoubtedly many.
Perhaps most interesting are the rhetorical performances by Trump’s wife, Melania, who says almost nothing at all. Now, less than a month before Election Day, Mrs. Trump has published her memoir, “Melania.” To go back to basics, the book form requires that words be written and, at least traditionally, that those words convey meaning. “Melania” is an impressive feat of nothingness, as flat as a 182-page tome can be.
It is the culmination of Mrs. Trump’s rhetorical journey. Her speech at the Republican Convention in 2016 was heavily adapted from Michelle Obama’s speech in 2008. She rarely spoke as First Lady, and in this year’s campaign, she was almost completely absent, as if someone decided it was better to be seen, not heard. . At this year’s conference, the masculine music in the arena gave way to violins and twinkling white lights as Mrs. Trump entered. She smiled beautifully and didn’t say anything.
However, for more discerning observers, they might have hoped that the memoirs would offer more. Could these outstretched hand strikes from Trump, during his presidency, indicate a challenge to her husband and her boss? Can a book reveal the deeply held opinions behind the curtain of her perfect poetry? Or might it offer something else entirely, life lessons to its followers? Her open letter of July, written after the attempt on her husband’s life, contained some interesting statements – a reference to “the terrestrial world”, for example, and the principle that “political notions are simple when compared with us mortals”.
Unfortunately, neither Melania reveals a secret fire nor the Slovenian Yoda. There is instead a gentle journey through Mrs. Trump’s childhood, her early days dating Mr. Trump, her work remodeling the White House, and, most compellingly, her love and protection for her son, Barron. As befits a politician’s wife, she mentions politics. She advocates for abortion rights and makes clear her opposition to separating children from their parents at the border.
In general, however, she neither defends nor condemns her husband wholeheartedly, but rather asserts her right to privacy. Opinions are presented vaguely, as if through the soft focus of its promotional videos. In her description of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, she did not mention the name of George Floyd, referring instead to “a black Minneapolis resident” who was killed by police. Regarding the results of the 2020 elections, she says: “I am not the only person who doubts the results.”
All this time, there is no coherent sense of who Mrs. Trump is. There is Melania applying for the job: “I continue to approach tasks with a methodical mindset, and strive for excellence in everything I do.” There’s Namaste Melania — “True happiness is not found in material possessions, but in the depth of self-awareness and self-acceptance” — as well as Material Melania, who enjoys fashion and nice cars, and Martian Melania, who believes a 20-person customs line at a New York airport is worthy of her. By observing its length, not its shortness. Perhaps the most compelling sentence in the book is “Leadership provides freedom.”
“Melania” is vulgar. This does not mean that it is irrelevant. For years, Trump’s approach has been so fragmented that critics have neglected his shift in the political consensus, from immigration to trade. As America moves closer to having Mrs. Trump in the White House again or its first gentleman, Mrs. Trump has helped redefine the role of the president’s wife: the job can be whatever that person wants it to be, or, in her case, very little. ■