Melania Trump: I understand why people don’t like Donald’s social media posts

Former First Lady describes her husband as ‘passionate’ and ‘caring’ in interview to promote her memoir

Melania Trump has said she understands why people do not like her husband’s social media posts but has insisted he “needs to fight back.”
Asked what she would want to say to women who might have a certain impression of Donald Trump, the former First Lady said he is “passionate” and “warm.”
“I understand that maybe sometimes they see him tough and some tweets, maybe they would not like it, and they didn’t like it,” Mrs. Trump, 54, told Fox News.
In her latest interview to promote her memoir, Melania, which will be released on Tuesday, she added: “I understand that, but he needs to fight back, too. When he’s attacked, he needs to fight back.”
Asked about a passage in the book in which she reveals she is pro-choice, a position at odds with the Republican presidential candidate, Mrs. Trump said her husband has known about her views on abortion “since the day we met.”
The mother-of-one’s personal beliefs have riled some of Trump’s pro-life supporters who have claimed she is “wrong” and hurting her husband’s campaign.
Others have suggested the publication has been purposefully timed by the Trump campaign to soften his image with female voters ahead of the election.
Defending the timing, Mrs. Trump said the book “was written months before” and her husband “knew” that the chapter about abortion would be in the book.
In the interview, Mrs. Trump also claimed she was the victim of a “canceling project” when a university refused to accept her donation for foster children after she left the White House.
“Because of the board directors, they call back, they find out that it was me… They said: ‘We cannot go on’,” Mrs. Trump said, adding: “And it’s very, very sad, because who suffered? They were children from [the] foster community.”
She added: “They didn’t want to do business with me because of political affiliation, my political beliefs.”
Mrs. Trump also described how her bank said they could no longer “do business” with her and an email distribution service provider “abruptly” ended their agreement.
While she did not name the university, it was previously reported that Holberton School, a software engineering university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had declined a donation from Mrs. Trump.
Julien Barbier, the chief executive of the school, said at the time they had not been able to “reach an agreement on the logistics of the scholarship.”
In her upcoming memoir, Mrs. Trump also gives an insight into her relationship with her husband, revealing that he calls her personal doctor to check up on her health.
According to The Daily Beast, which obtained an early copy of the book, she said as she got to know her future husband she discovered that he was a “gentleman, displaying tenderness and thoughtfulness.”
She adds: “For example, Donald to this day calls my personal doctor to check in on my health, to ensure that I am okay and that they are taking perfect care of me.
“He isn’t flashy or dramatic, just genuine and caring.”
Mrs. Trump also discloses that false claims about her son Barron being autistic led to him being bullied and caused “irreparable harm.”
A viral video in November 2016, when Barron was 10, claimed to show the former US president’s youngest child displaying signs of autism spectrum disorder.
At the time, comedian Rosie O’Donnell wrote on Twitter: “Barron Trump autistic? If so, what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic.”
Addressing the allegations, Mrs. Trump writes: “I was appalled by such cruelty.
“It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband.”
Mrs. Trump adds: “There is nothing shameful about autism (though O’Donnell’s tweet implied that there was), but Barron is not autistic.”
She accuses Ms. O’Donnell of “sheer malice,” and calls it “devastating as a parent.”
“It felt like my heart was breaking into pieces.”
Ms. O’Donnell later deleted the tweet and apologized.
Mrs. Trump adds: “Barron’s experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage caused.”