Melania is a book I was worried would be written by a ghostwriter. After reading, I really wish it had been.
Melania Trump, the once-again lady of the United States, wrote her life’s memoir Melania in 2024. Critics and readers, including myself, were excited to get a glimpse into not only her luxurious life as a global icon and wife to Donald Trump but also her important perspective and opinions on Trump’s controversial presidency.
The first chapters of the memoir detailing her arrival to the United States and her husband’s presidential win are expectedly bland, as I assumed Trump wanted to avoid revealing too much too soon. However, the rest of her memoir follows the same lackluster tone with little to no character.
When Trump manages to deliver personality in her writing, it still lacks the humility and groundedness she constantly reminds readers she possesses. She describes her life as the First Lady as “the hardest volunteer job in America,” an insanely out-of-touch thing to say for someone whose job is to decorate the White House and present a socially acceptable character.
That said, there are many First Ladies who have gone above and beyond with political reforms, speaking their beliefs and being amazing role models, but honestly, Trump is no Michele Obama.
Although Melania is overwhelmingly vacant of meaning, I did enjoy Trump’s memories of her Slovenian upbringing, as I found they held the most sincerity. In multiple chapters, she details her hardworking parents who supported her and her sister’s creativity and drive. While Trump seems to downplay her privilege, presenting a “self-made” narrative, her architecture education and relationship with her sister, Ines Knauss, feel very authentic.
Trump’s inclusion of her deceased mother’s eulogy is by far the most moving part of her memoir. She even credits the eulogy as the reason she pursued art, another reason her Slovenian life feels the most genuine in her memoir.
The lack of genuineness in the rest of the memoir suggests that her heart really wasn’t in it. I’d go as far as to say that Trump had a hard time relating to the life she was writing about, considering how much better the writing came across when she spoke about her childhood.
I was relieved to see that Trump shared a few political stances. I assumed she would only echo her husband’s values, but was pleasantly surprised when she openly wrote against one of his decisions.
“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.” Trump writes.
I respect Trump’s decision to share her pro-choice stance on abortion, considering her husband boasts about how proud he was to be a part of the overturning of Roe V. Wade. However, it falls a little short. The rest of the memoir screams blind follower and defeats her purpose of politically separating from him.
My biggest issue with Melania is that it feels more like a part of her husband’s presidential campaign than a memoir for herself. Her author’s note claims that she is writing her memoir to reclaim the narrative of her life–but that doesn’t come across at all. The memoir only glorifies their relationship and tries to downplay how different the relationship is from any average couple. To make matters worse, the back of the memoir’s cover has an endorsement from her husband, further suggesting that the memoir is just another part of his agenda.
Overall, while I can excuse factors of the memoir, assuming there were most likely writing limitations being President Trump’s wife, Melania is unable to connect with readers due to Trump’s lack of character, unclear tone, ignorant comments and glaring blandness that fails to conjure any depth.
To anyone interested in learning more about Trump, I’d suggest skipping the 40-dollar Melania and reading a free article instead.
