Former first woman Melania Trump on Sunday defended her beliefs on abortion, which she detailed in an upcoming memoir and which appear to be at odds with these of her husband, former President Donald Trump.
“[Donald Trump] knew my place and my beliefs because the day we met. And I imagine in particular person freedom. I wish to determine what I wish to do with my physique. I feel I don’t need authorities in my private enterprise,” Melania Trump advised Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday.
Her remarks come days after The Guardian printed excerpts of her e-book by which she wrote, “It is crucial to ensure that girls have autonomy in deciding their desire of getting kids, primarily based on their very own convictions, free from any intervention or strain from the federal government.”
“Why ought to anybody apart from the lady herself have the ability to find out what she does together with her personal physique? A lady’s elementary proper of particular person liberty, to her personal life, grants her the authority to terminate her being pregnant if she needs,” she added within the upcoming memoir, “Melania.”
The former first woman additionally voiced her beliefs in a promotional video for the e-book posted on X final week.
“Individual freedom is a elementary precept that I safeguard. Without a doubt there isn’t a room for compromise in terms of this important proper that each one girls possess from beginning,” Melania Trump mentioned within the video.
“Individual freedom. What does ‘my physique, my selection’ actually imply?” she added.
Last week — a couple of month earlier than Election Day — was the primary time the previous first woman had publicly shared her views on abortion, a very salient challenge forward of November as Democrats attempt to paint Donald Trump as somebody who would search to ban abortion if he’s elected.
In Sunday’s interview, Melania Trump addressed questions she has confronted after going public together with her views so near the election, telling Bartiromo: “Well, that was not written within the final week or the final month. … That e-book was written months earlier than, and it was in print months earlier than. So that was my perception, and it’s my perception, and I wished to place it within the e-book, as a result of I wish to be genuine.”
Asked by Bartiromo whether or not she was anxious that voters could change their opinions of her husband due to her views, the previous first woman mentioned, “I don’t fear. Everybody must determine what they wish to do.”
The former first woman mentioned Donald Trump “knew” her place can be within the e-book, including: “He lets me be who I’m, and he lets me imagine what I imagine. He lets me be my very own particular person. And he does respect that, and I respect that as I let him be his personal particular person. He has totally different beliefs and he’ll do what he believes.”
Melania Trump’s feedback echoed her husband’s remarks to Fox News on Thursday, by which he mentioned: “We spoke about it, and I mentioned, ‘You have to write down what you imagine. I’m not going to inform you what to do. You have to write down what you imagine.’”
“She’s very beloved,” he added. “People love our former first woman, I can inform you that, however I mentioned, ‘You have to stay together with your coronary heart.’ I’ve mentioned that to everyone, ‘You should go together with your coronary heart.’”
Earlier this week, in a put up on Truth Social, Trump mentioned he would veto an abortion ban if one got here throughout his desk as president. The former president’s views on the difficulty have constantly advanced.
In May 2023, Trump celebrated the Supreme Court’s choice to overturn Roe v. Wade, writing in a social media put up, “After 50 years of failure, with no person coming even shut, I used to be in a position to kill Roe v. Wade, a lot to the ‘shock’ of everybody.”
And when he was president, Trump known as on the Senate to go a 20-week restrict on abortions that had already handed the House.
Earlier this yr, the previous president flirted with a 15-week federal abortion restrict. “The variety of weeks now — individuals are agreeing on 15, and I’m considering when it comes to that, and it’ll come out to one thing that’s very affordable. But individuals are actually — even hard-liners are agreeing — appears to be 15 weeks, appears to be a quantity that individuals are agreeing at,” he mentioned in a WABC radio interview.
And in August, Trump advised NBC News that Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which was signed into legislation by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, is “too brief.” Trump added, “It needs to be extra time.”
Days later, he clarified that he would vote in opposition to a Florida poll initiative this yr that may assure a proper to abortion till fetal viability.