The Hidden Face of Melania Trump

In “The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump” published on June 16^th, author Mary Jordan tells the story of USA first lady’s journey through the eyes of those who have known her. From tensions with her husband’s daughter, Ivanka, to her influence on her husband, the president of the USA, the Washington Post reporter delivers a complex and unprecedented vision of the current first lady.

"Those who piss Melania off do it at their own risk, and that risk is "off with your head", says a former White House official. "I'm not kidding ... You will leave if she doesn't like you. "

In “The Art of Her Deal: the Untold Story of Melania Trump”, a book by Mary Jordan, published on Tuesday June 16 by Simon & Schuster, the journalist tells the story of the mysterious Melania Trump.

Confidentiality agreements and encrypted messaging

Washington Post reporter and former Pulitzer Prize winner met hundreds of people who were in contact with the first lady of America. It was a real challenge for the journalist.

“Through my 30 years of journalism working around the world, I have written about lonely and mysterious personalities, including a Mexican cartel leader and a Japanese Princess, however, nothing is compared to my attempts to understand Melania Trump,” she wrote in the book’s introduction.

Most of the people who were interviewed in the book, chose to testify anonymously and on encrypted messaging applications. Mary Jordan tried to get in touch with the Trump family, but they simply did not "respond".

"The Trumps have both had confidentiality agreements signed by everyone around them," she said. “They also, as I learned, told those who knew Melania Trump when she was young, as a model, not to speak."

However, Mary Jordan was able to dig out new information about the First Lady.

In “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”, a book by journalist Michael Wolff,  published in 2018 by First editions, the author claimed that Melania Trump was "desperate" when her husband's election announcement was made in November 8, 2016. However, truth is that the former model was actually behind his candidacy.

"She said to him: You know, Donald, stop talking about the presidential candidacy and just do it ... And if you run for presidency, you will win," says Roger Stone, former adviser and friend of the president of the United States, in The Art of Her Deal book. She also chose the candidate's running mate, Mike Pence. During the presidential campaign, Melania Trump decided to renegotiate her marriage contract. And this when Ivanka Trump took over the reins of the paternal empire, mentions the Washington Post.

Marriage contract re-negotiated

Melania was married to the billionaire for a longtime, more than his 2 previous spouses, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples. She’s thinking of obtaining better conditions than them in case of a divorce, for her as well as for her son Barron. The key for the latter is to obtain his share of the inheritance, including Trump Organization’s leadership in Europe. The best time for this renegotiation was after Donald Trump’s election. When the president moved to his new home in Washington, Melania Trump chose to continue living in the Trump Tower in New York.

The US President did not appreciate that his wife's office, located in the East wing of the White House, remained unoccupied. Especially when the media started wondering: is the couple on bad terms?

In February 2017, the First Lady did not even join the President on Valentine's Day. After that, a new scandal broke out.

The Washington Post published a tape with an article about Donald Trump in an Episode of Access Hollywood in 2005, where he said: “I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab them by the p***. You can do anything.”

After the scandal, Donald Trump took two hours before deciding to confront his wife, as reveals the book. "That evening, he seemed frightened at the idea of ​​confronting her," revealed an anonymous source to Mary Jordan.

"You know, if Melania hadn't supported him, if she had gone away, he would have been roasted,"says the author.

Melania Trump remained in New York until the end of Barron's school senior year, June 11, 2017, despite the additional costs for her safety, and the traffic jams on her way to her son's school. At that time, she asked people to stop calling her the First Lady.

The Princess and the Portrait

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump took over the East Wing of the White House. "While Melania was away, Ivanka used the private cinema with its sumptuous red seats, and enjoyed other benefits offered by the White House," wrote Mary Jordan.

Some people say that she used the private residence as if it was her own house. Melania didn't like it. When she and Barron finally moved in, she put an end to all that by enforcing firm boundaries.

The worst part is when Melania Trump learned that her daughter-in-law has proposed to rename the First Lady's office to the First Family office, just to extend her influence. The First Lady categorically refused to grant this favor to the one she would nickname "the princess". When she was younger, Ivanka Trump used to call her step-mother "the Portrait" because of her repeated silences.

Unsuspected influence

Yet Donald Trump's daughter doesn’t have influence on her father as much as the First Lady. According to West Wing employees, the President had already criticized some suggestions made by his sons Eric and Don Jr., and sometimes by Ivanka. He would never have made similar comments about Melania Trump. The former model has an unexpected influence on the President.

"Although she prefers to stay behind the scenes, however, she has an incredible influence," explains Sean Spicer in the book, "She is not someone who walks into a room and say, "Hire this person, fire that person."

However, she does let the President know what she is thinking of, and he takes her opinion seriously. ” Also, the President shares his wife’s opinions, most of the time.