Former First Lady Melania Trump often comes off as a mysterious figure, especially as she has retreated from the limelight somewhat in recent years. Soon, a new book might provide more insight into the former model.
“‘Melania’ is the powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has defined personal excellence, overcome adversity, and carved her own path,” said the website of former President Donald Trump’s wife this week in an announcement of her upcoming memoir. “The former First Lady invites readers into her world, offering an intimate portrait of a woman who has lived an extraordinary life.”
According to the announcement, the book will include “stories and images never before shared with the public.” Pre-order prices range from $40 to $75 signed copy and $150 signed copy with bonus photographs and a digital collectible.
“May your experience reading my book be as enjoyable as the writing process was for me,” said a Thursday X post from Melania.
Per her White House biography, Melania was born April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, to parents Viktor and Amalija Knavs. That makes her the second first lady born outside of the U.S. and the first to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.
As a young woman, she studied design before embarking on a modelling career, according to the White House Historical Association. Melania became a successful fashion model and her career brought her to the U.S. in the 1990s. She married Trump in 2005 and they welcomed their son, Barron, the following year.
When she was first lady, Melania focused on advocacy efforts for children through the BE BEST campaign. It “strives to promote a world for children based on healthy living, kindness, and respect,” said her White House biography.
During her husband’s presidency, Melania received increased media attention. In 2016, she received criticism for using parts of a speech by former First Lady Michelle Obama in her own speech without citing her. A speechwriter later took responsibility for the mistake, NPR reported.
Following the 2020 election – and a mountain of legal troubles for Trump, including some cases that paint him as a cheater – Melania has not been in the spotlight much. While she has attended some events with her husband, she has also been missing at some key moments. For example, she was not at his side publicly during the Manhattan “hush money” trial that centered around an alleged affair the former president is said to have had with adult film star Stormy Daniels while he was with Melania.
However, as Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign heats up, Melania has been out in public more. She attended an April event and later hosted a fundraiser. Both events were for the Log Cabin Republicans, a longtime group for LGBTQ conservatives named after Republican President Abraham Lincoln, Audacy reported.
She also issued a statement after the assassination attempt that her husband narrowly survived at a Butler, Pa., campaign rally on July 13. At the beginning of this month, Audacy reported that Trump and Melania had “struck a deal,” covering her role if he is elected in November. According to the report, the deal would allow her not to be on “first lady duty” 24/7 and to spend time with their son, Barron, who just graduated from high school.
While Trump has co-founded a publishing company, Winning Team Publishing, The Hollywood Reporter said this week that “Melania” will be released by Skyhorse Publishing. Other titles published by that house include “The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health” by Trump’s current independent challenger for the White House, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr., and “Apropos of Nothing”, controversial film director Woody Allen’s autobiography.
Melania’s office did not provide a specific release date and it is not clear if the book will come out before the November election, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It said: “A spokesperson said no information was available beyond what was included in the release, which made no reference to financial terms, promotional plans or if she worked with a co-author.”
It has become common for presidents and first ladies to write books after leaving the White House, but The Hollywood Reporter noted that neither Trump nor his wife have released books through major New York publishers since he left. Trump, of course, published numerous books before becoming president, including project’s with Random House and Simon & Schuster. Once of these is the well-known book “The Art of the Deal”, written with journalist Tony Schwartz and published by Random House.
“Many shunned him after the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” said the outlet. The Hollywood Reporter added that Melania has not told her own story at length before, but that she “has been the subject of other books, including one by former adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.”