Melania Trump suggests support for abortion rights, in break from husband’s campaign
In a video, the former first lady defended women’s ‘individual freedoms’ to do what they want with their bodies
Melania Trump, the wife of Donald Trump, said in a video on Thursday that there was “no room for compromise” on a woman’s right to “individual freedom” – a position on abortion rights at apparent odds with that of her husband, the Republican US presidential candidate.
Her comments come as Trump and his running mate, US Senator J.D. Vance, have attempted to soften the hard edges of the Republican Party’s position on abortion, a major obstacle in winning over female voters ahead of the November 5 election.
“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard,” she says in the video that she posted to X to promote her memoir that is due to be released next week.
“Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth, individual freedom. What does ‘my body, my choice’ really mean?”
Melania Trump, a former model who was first lady during Trump’s 2017-2021 term and has been mostly absent so far on the campaign trail, has a history of offering cryptic statements to the public. In 2018, on a trip to the US border, she wore a jacket that bore the slogan “I really don’t care, do you?” that went without explanation.
