Melania Trump isn’t giving any attention to a moment between her and her husband, former President Donald Trump, that she says was blown out of proportion by the media.
In her memoir, “Melania,” released on Tuesday, the former first lady described a moment in 2017 that made headlines as it appeared to show her “swatting” away then-President Trump who was trying to hold her hand during a trip to Tel Aviv, Israel.
“The media’s obsession with sensationalizing trivial gestures was evident as they distorted a simple moment between myself and my husband,” she wrote in the book. “As we walked down the red carpet, I gently waved away his attempt to hold my hand. The media labeled it as a ‘swat’ and used it as supposed evidence of marital discord.”
Melania Trump went on to call the coverage of the moment a “false narrative” in an effort by the media to “misrepresent even the most insignificant actions.”
“The occurrence, dubbed a ‘swat’ by the gossipmongers, was a mere misunderstanding,” the former first lady wrote. “Protocol demanded that the president and prime minister walk side by side, with their spouses trailing behind. Yet, unforeseen circumstances led to a slight deviation from the norm. Bibi ended up holding his wife’s hand, and my husband walked beside them — three abreast.”
She went on to write that where they were walking could “not accommodate” all of them, so she let the president go on without her.
“When he reached out to offer his hand, I declined, indicating that I was perfectly content walking on my own,” Melania Trump said. “It was a minor innocent gesture, nothing more. There were clearly far more interesting topics to discuss.”
In the memoir, the former first lady offers her view of several key moments from Trump’s time as president as well as her personal political beliefs.
In the newly released book, she discusses her reaction to the assassination attempts on her husband, her support for abortion rights, and how she handled the FBI raid on her Mar-a-Lago home.