Melania Trump’s stance on abortion rights, shared just ahead of her memoir’s release, reveals a sharp divergence from her husband, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on a key issue in the upcoming election.
On Thursday, the former first lady posted a video on her X account, where she emphasized the importance of women’s “individual freedoms,” specifically their right to make decisions regarding their bodies. This position clashes with the views held by a significant portion of the Republican Party and her own husband, who has been criticized for wavering on the topic of abortion, caught between the anti-abortion views of his supporters and the broader public that largely supports abortion rights.
“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard,” Melania Trump stated in the video. “There’s no compromise when it comes to a woman’s right to control her own body from birth. What does ‘my body, my choice’ truly stand for?”
This video coincides with leaked excerpts from her upcoming memoir, as reported by The Guardian a day prior. The former first lady has traditionally refrained from publicly voicing her political views and has remained largely out of the spotlight during her husband’s campaign. However, her memoir, which is set for release next Tuesday, firmly supports a woman’s right to choose, arguing that decisions regarding abortion should remain between a woman and her doctor, without interference from the government.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the authority to decide what she does with her own body?” she writes, according to The Guardian. “A woman’s right to individual liberty grants her the choice to terminate a pregnancy if she desires.”
In her memoir, Melania Trump reveals that she has held these beliefs throughout her adult life.
These views starkly contrast with the Republican Party’s stance and her husband’s. Donald Trump has taken credit for appointing the three Supreme Court justices who played pivotal roles in overturning Roe v. Wade, a decision that led to the implementation of abortion bans across numerous states. Democrats have criticized him for the erosion of reproductive rights following the dismantling of the landmark case, which previously protected the constitutional right to an abortion.
Responding to questions on Thursday, Donald Trump said that he had spoken with his wife about her memoir and advised her to “follow her heart.”
“We discussed it, and I told her to write what she believes,” he explained to Fox News. “I’m not going to dictate what she writes. She has to express her own views.” He further elaborated that opinions on abortion vary widely, with some being extremely conservative and others holding more moderate views.
In response to Melania Trump’s public defense of abortion rights, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign pointed out Donald Trump’s significant role in dismantling Roe v. Wade.
“Unfortunately for women across America, Mrs. Trump’s husband doesn’t share her views and is the reason that more than a third of American women now live under a Trump Abortion Ban,” Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika commented. “Donald Trump has made it clear: If reelected, he will implement a nationwide abortion ban, further endangering women’s health and freedoms.”
Earlier in the week, Donald Trump made his first explicit promise to veto a federal abortion ban, though many abortion rights advocates remain doubtful of his commitment to protecting reproductive rights.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s president and CEO, Alexis McGill Johnson, expressed skepticism about the timing of the memoir. “It’s another example of the Trumps playing voters,” she said. “As president, Trump actively worked to overturn Roe v. Wade, and Melania stood by him without publicly opposing his actions until just weeks before an election. It’s important to read between the lines here.”
Democratic strategist Brittany Crampsie suggested that the release of Melania Trump’s memoir could be an attempt to appeal to more moderate voters. However, she questioned whether it would be effective, considering Donald Trump’s inconsistent stance on the issue has already caused confusion among voters.
In her memoir, Melania Trump also addresses late-term abortions, arguing that most abortions during later stages are due to severe fetal abnormalities that would likely result in the child’s death or the mother’s serious health risk.
“These cases are rare and typically happen after several discussions between the woman and her doctor,” she writes.
Her position stands in opposition to her husband’s, who has been known to spread misinformation about late-term abortions, falsely accusing Democrats of supporting abortion “after birth,” despite the fact that infanticide is illegal across the United States.
The anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America criticized Melania Trump’s comments but emphasized that their primary goal was to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Women facing unplanned pregnancies need more resources, not more abortions,” the organization’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said. “We must support both the women and the unborn children who endure these brutal procedures.”
Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor specializing in reproductive rights at the University of California, Davis, remarked that it’s unclear whether the release of the memoir was intended to benefit Donald Trump’s campaign. However, she noted that Melania’s differing stance on abortion isn’t unprecedented.
“There’s a long history of first ladies supporting abortion rights more than their husbands, including Betty Ford, who was a vocal advocate,” Ziegler explained.
At a rally in New York last month, Donald Trump promoted his wife’s book, encouraging supporters to purchase it. Though it remains unclear if he has read the memoir, he jokingly told the crowd, “Go buy it. It’s fantastic. And if she says anything bad about me, I’ll be sure to let you all know not to buy it.”
