When a Former Miss Universe Called Melania Trump Just a 'Decoration': "I Think I Speak More English"

President-elect Donald Trump with his slew of legal troubles and controversial statements has always stayed in the spotlight, and most often his family has to face the brunt of things. Regardless of the relentless support he has received from them, there are times when his wife Melania Trump in particular has had to navigate backlash received from her husband’s online rants. However, Melania is known to use a very diplomatic and amicable method to resolve altercations and has thus far succeeded. Nevertheless, it doesn’t negate the fact that she might have a few people who disagree with her. 

According to a 2016 article by Politico, the soon-to-be First Lady was called out by former Miss Universe winner from 1996: Alicia Machado, after Donald's lewd remarks against women surfaced the same year. The model was known to be well-invested in her career but later had a change of heart and decided to venture into the world of politics. In an interview with Cosmopolitan Magazine, she made a comparison of her immigration story to that of Melania’s. A noteworthy fact is that both Machado and Melania are former models and have quite a portfolio. 

Circling back to the genesis of the matter, Donald had made several remarks against Machado in the past. He had allegedly referred to her as ‘Miss Piggy’ and ‘Miss Housekeeping’ due to her heritage as per sources. Back in 2016 as per The New York Times, during the Presidential debate between contenders Hilary Clinton and Donald, the Democrat threw Machado’s name into the mix. Clinton said at the time: “She has a name, Alicia Machado, and she has become a U.S. citizen…and you can bet she is going to vote this November.”

Shortly after Machado took to X (formerly Twitter), to thank Clinton for her support. Meanwhile, Donald took to the platform to claim that Machado was 'the worst' Miss Universe and commented about her weight. This didn’t sit well with Machado given the gravity of his statements. In the aforementioned interview, not only did Machado slam Donald for his remarks in the past but also threw some serious shade at his wife. She alleged Melania wasn’t doing enough to help with the position she was in. Additionally, Machado remarked, “I think I speak more English than her,” calling attention to the fact that they were both immigrants.

Machado continued to confess that she failed to understand why a man of Donald’s stature [his general influence in society] would choose to be with Melania. She harshly remarked, “I don’t see anything about this girl. She’s a doll. She’s a decoration. That is how I see her.” Neither Donald nor Melania chose to comment on the matter either themselves or through their representatives to date.