Donald Trump has clashed with his wife Melania on many occasions behind the scenes.
The former US President is preparing to return to the White House for his second term and has promised a long list of policy changes. But while the Republican party may stand by them, his other half does not.
The Slovenian ex-model has long said that she does not align with all of her husband’s strong beliefs. And now, as Trump is being inaugurated as the 47th president, the soon-to-be First Lady has spoken out about their differences.
In a shock confession before his second term as President, the mother-of-one has insisted she doesn’t always agree with Trump’s views and will stand up to her husband, whether or not he chooses to listen to her.
During an interview on Fox & Friends, she said: “Some people, they see me as just the wife of the president, but I’m standing on my own two feet, independent. 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.”
When asked if that meant she could tell the president-elect when she disagrees with him, Melania said, “I give him my advice, and sometimes he listens. Sometimes he doesn’t. And that’s OK.” But what exactly do the couple have differing views on? Here, the Mirror takes a look at all of the times they’ve clashed…
Bold abortion stance
Trump calls himself the most ‘pro-life president’ in history – but Melania’s own beliefs don’t align. In her memoir, titled Melania, which was released days before the US election campaign kicked off in October, she spoke about her views on abortion.
Melania made clear the divide between her and her husband’s stance. While Trump’s Republican Party is typically ‘pro-life’, Melania voiced her support for pro-choice rights. In the book, she wrote: “Our next generation must be provided with knowledge, security, safety and solace, and the cultural stigma associated with abortion must be lifted.”
The former First Lady added that the slogan ‘my body, my choice’ aligns with “personal freedom” and she supports “the right to choose life”. Ahead of the book release, she also shared a video on socials asserting that abortion is a “fundamental” right to women and an aspect of “individual freedom”.
Trump family differences
Also in her book, Melania wrote that her beliefs do not always align with those of her four stepchildren from Trump’s previous two marriages—Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany. She said their relationship is “grounded in love and respect,” but she “may not agree with every opinion or choice” of Donald’s kids.
Melania added that she does not align with “all of Donald’s decisions”, in a cryptic dig to her husband’s controversial and outspoken beliefs. She explained that while they “may share the same last name”, the Trumps are all on different “paths”.
Immigration
Elsewhere in her book, Melania, who was born in Slovenia, said she disagreed with her husband on some aspects of immigration policy. She wrote that “occasional political disagreements between me and my husband are part of our relationship, but I believed in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him”.
Although she kept it vague, Melania previously touched on Trump’s immigration stance and how they do agree on certain aspects. In 2016, she shared her love for America and said she understood why the US attracted so many immigrants like herself. However, she made it clear that she did not agree with illegal immigration.
Speaking about her husband, she said: “He’s not racist. He’s not anti-immigrant. I obeyed the law. I did it the right way. I didn’t just sneak in and stay here. So I think that’s what people should do.”
Public clashes
While Donald is a huge supporter of Fox News, Melania would choose to watch CNN ‘voraciously’, according to Katie Rogers, author of American Woman. In her book, Rogers writes that the couple’s opposing media consumption habits came to a head in July 2018, when Donald became “incensed that his wife’s television was tuned to CNN aboard Air Force Once during an overseas trip” and ordered that all TVs be tuned to Fox News.
The year prior, Melania and Donald publicly took different stances on the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. While Donald said there “were very fine people, on both sides”, Melania took to Twitter to discourage violence. She said: “Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let’s communicate without hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence.”
Again in 2017, the couple seemed to sit on opposite sides of the fence when it came to Black athletes kneeling during the national anthem. Trump called them ‘disgraceful’ and publicly insulted LeBron James, but Melania had her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, issued a statement that praised the basketball player.
In Rogers’ book, the author wrote: “Her tweets were small gestures that amounted to little more than digital ephemera. Still, compared with her husband’s bridge burners, Melania’s missives established her as a rare figure in the Trump administration who seemed more interested in calming a cultural divide than widening it.”