French First Lady Says Melania Trump Has a ‘Firm Hand’ Over Donald Trump: “He Obeys Her”
French First Lady Brigitte Macron has given a rare insight into the successful marriage of Melania and former president Donald Trump. Macron described the former first lady of the United States as a "strong personality" who deals with her husband with a "firm hand". In an exclusive interview with Paris Match magazine, Macron called Melania "very sweet." "But she keeps a firm hand on her husband," the former teacher added. "When she taps her watch at dinner, her husband understands that it is time to get up and leave. He obeys. She has a strong personality." During the Trumps' 2018 visit to France, Brigitte, and Emmanuel Macron spent time with the American couple. In the same year, the Macrons paid a state visit to the Trump residence.
As per the Daily Mail, Melania and Donald were known to keep separate schedules and bedrooms in the White House. However, the then-president would frequently look to his wife for cues regarding appropriate behavior at social gatherings, such as whether to approach someone and when to leave. The first lady of the time would assist with White House duties as well. She was a key player in the October 2019 raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Melania participated in the action in the 'Situation Room' at the White House and recommended that Trump promote Conan, the heroic military dog that was involved in the operation.
As per another report by The Guardian, after French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife concluded their three-day state visit to Washington, Brigitte told Le Monde in 2018 that the former model from Slovenia was "actually really fun." She spoke in length about their friendship. "We have the same sense of humor. We laugh a lot together.” However, Melania "is powerless," as the French first lady put her. “She can’t even open a window at the White House. She can’t go outside. She’s much more constrained than I am. I go out every day in Paris.” The French first lady also called her then counterpart as “kind, charming, intelligent and very open." “Everything is interpreted, over-interpreted. She’s someone who has a strong personality but works hard to hide it. She laughs very easily, at everything, but shows it less than I do.” Adding that she was aware to “be careful what I say. I have the impression that every word is a word too many, and I’m constantly holding myself back. That’s the hardest part: there’s never really any time off, never a moment when you can be completely calm.”
As per Vogue, in closing, Brigitte refuted the charge commonly leveled against Melania, stating that she would never want to be merely a "flower pot," or an accessory, to her spouse. However, she stated to Le Monde that this is frequently required by the procedures in Washington. “Everything was very framed, there were small labels on the ground, I put myself where I had to put myself,” she said.
