Melania Trump sits in an unenviable position after footage revealed her husband’s exceedingly lewd 2005 comments about women (how his fame allows him to “grab them by the p*ssy”). No matter what Melania says or does in response, she’ll meet criticism, and one month out from the general election, the former model is enduring an October surprise that can’t be pleasant from a spouse-centric point of view. Donald made these predatory remarks about a married woman while he was freshly married to Melania. She’s now speaking out with a statement that’s been published at the Trump-Pence campaign site. This is a simple response but undoubtedly a carefully crafted one:
“The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world.”
This certainly isn’t the first time Melania’s had to answer for Trump’s words, but this time, it’s intensely personal. Melania (who is a non-native English speaker) has also fielded criticism about her own immigration process, which clashes with what Donald has preached. She seldom speaks out, but on the rare occasions when Melania does so — such as with her plagiarized RNC speech — the results are disastrous, and she generally returns to a low-key profile while Trump maintains his rock-star presence on the campaign trail.
Here, she claims to have forgiven her husband and — in line with Trump’s own apology speech — hopes the country will move forward and vote him into office. Melania does condemn his words, and she is undoubtedly embarrassed at her husband’s behavior. Yet she’s still supportive of him. And that’s to be expected, based upon her behavior throughout this campaign. Sporadically, she has expressed disagreement with some of his positions but continues to believe that he has a good heart and will be an effective leader.
(Via Donald J. Trump for President)
