Melania forced Trump to drop hardline immigration policy, memoir claims

By Reuters
October 04, 2024
Melania Trump at the Republican national convention in July. — Reuters/file

LOS ANGELES: Melania Trump has revealed she made her husband drop an immigration policy which separated migrant children from their parents.

Advertisement

The former first lady describes how Donald Trump ended his controversial policy in 2018 after she told the then-president: “This has to stop.”

In her upcoming memoir, she also reveals how she aired her political concerns with Trump behind closed doors rather than in public.

Melania Trump writes in her upcoming memoir that a woman has the right to an abortion, The Guardian newspaper reported, while her husband, Donald Trump, backs the ability for U.S. states to restrict the procedure.

“Occasional political disagreements between me and my husband were a part of our relationship,” she writes, adding: “But I believed in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him. I found our discussions more productive when we could have a quiet dialogue at home, out of the public eye.”

According to The Guardian, which obtained a copy of the book ahead of next week’s release, Mrs Trump said that she didn’t like relying on news reports, adding: “Before discussing the border crisis with him, I thoroughly educated myself on the situation.”

She says reports of children “being held in overcrowded detention centres and in absolute squalor” had made her question their safety and wellbeing.

Ms Trump, 54, said that there was a “lack of a clear plan” for getting families back together and no definitive policy, which was increasing public outrage. “I felt strongly that the situation demanded urgent attention and action,” she wrote.

Advertisement