People left outraged and speechless at ‘disgusting’ secret recording of Melania Trump
Melania Trump will not go down in history as one of the more active First Ladies.
Trump’s wife has dutifully rolled out a few policies and stood by her husband's side during official events (even if she’s done it somewhat frostily).
But she’s shown no apparent desire to get really stuck into her role, only moving to the White House in June 2017.
And a new leaked recording gives further insight into Melania’s mindset as First Lady – which seems to be ‘Why me?’.
Recorded secretly by former adviser and friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and reported by CNN, the audio shows Melania talking about having to decorate the White House – and the critique she’s receiving about Trump’s harrowing policy of separating all migrant children from their parents who cross into America from Mexico.
And it’s her comments about the latter that have provoked fury from some who’ve heard it.
Melania is heard saying:
I'm working ... my a** off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f*** about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?
OK, and then I do it and I say that I'm working on Christmas and planning for the Christmas and they said, 'Oh, what about the children that they were separated?' Give me a f****** break. Where they were saying anything when Obama did that?
I can not go, I was trying get the kid reunited with the mom. I didn't have a chance -- needs to go through the process and through the law.
Obama’s policy saw children separated from parents when “authorities had concerns for their well-being” or couldn’t confirm the adult was legally allowed to care for the child.
Under Trump, children were automatically separated from parents, full stop.
Another recording saw Melania praise detention centres.
"The kids, they say, 'Wow I will have my own bed? I will sleep on the bed? I will have a cabinet for my clothes?' It's so sad to hear it but they didn't have that in their own countries, they sleep on the floor," she says on the tape.
“They are taken care of nicely there. But you know, yeah, they are not with parents, it's sad. But when they come here alone or with coyotes or illegally, you know, you need to do something."
She was also recorded apparently doubting the perilous situations many migrants report fleeing.
"A lot of like moms and kids they are teached how to do it,” Melania is heard saying.
“They go over and they say like, 'Oh, we will be killed by a gang member, we will be, you know, it's so dangerous'.
"So they are allowed to stay here”.
There are those who are furious.
Some are comparing Melania’s words to the controversial ‘victim’ narrative that’s been attached to her.
Others said the signs had been there all along.
And questioned why the Trumps seemed incapable of holding onto friends.
Her comments were deemed 'disgusting'.
However, some defended Melania.
They said her words had been taken out of context and she clearly wanted to help the children.
Interpret as you see fit...
