Melania Trump says she’s ‘proud of her work as a nude model’

CNN
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Former first lady Melania Trump posted a new video on social media on Wednesday defending her past work as a nude model while promoting her new book.

“Why do I stand proudly behind my work as a nude model? The more pressing question is: why did the media decide to investigate my celebration of the human form in a fashion shoot?” she said in a video posted to X.

The former first lady added: “Can we no longer appreciate the beauty of the human body? Throughout history, masters of art have celebrated the human form, evoking deep emotion and awe.”

“We should respect our bodies and nurture the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of expression,” she said.

A spokesperson for the former first lady did not immediately respond to questions about how much media attention Melania Trump was referring to or whether the photos had garnered recent attention.

The former first lady’s upcoming memoir, “Melania,” is set to hit shelves in October, according to Skyhorse Publishing. Her office, announcing the book, described it as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who forged her own path, overcame adversity, and defined personal excellence.”

Melania Trump’s history as a nude model was highlighted in a 2016 campaign when the New York Post published several nude photos — said to have been taken in 1995 and published in a now-defunct French men’s magazine — that had not previously been published online. The cover headline read “The Ogle Office.”

At the time, Donald Trump told the newspaper that the photos were taken for a European magazine before they met and that “photos like this are very fashionable and common.”

A 2000 British GQ cover, in which Slovenian-born Melania Trump was photographed naked on Trump’s plane, also resurfaced during the campaign. A year after the photoshoot was published, the former first lady gained legal residency in the United States by receiving a green card under the elite EB-1 program, The Washington Post reported.

The former president and first lady married in 2005. Donald Trump’s two previous marriages were also to models: Ivana Zelníčková and Marla Maples. His numerous business ventures also included a modeling agency called Trump Model Management, which closed shortly after taking office in 2017.

Melania Trump has kept a low profile throughout her husband’s 2024 presidential campaign, making only a handful of public appearances since the former president made his third run for the White House: a campaign launch in November 2022 at their Mar-a-Lago home, a brief appearance in March when she accompanied him to the polls in Florida, and an appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer.

In July, after the failed assassination attempt on her husband at a rally in Pennsylvania, she released a letter thanking Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers for protecting the former president, adding that she had been thinking about her “fellow Americans” after the shooting.

Earlier this month, in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, the former first lady appeared to be increasingly thrust into the political spotlight, posting a series of political videos on social media.

Trump campaign advisers and close allies have said the former first lady supports her husband and his political ambitions and is focused on raising their son, Barron, adding that she is very selective about her political appearances.

Melania Trump has made rare appearances at private events this year, including hosting a July 8 fundraiser for the conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans at her Trump Tower residence in New York City and attending an April fundraiser with her husband at the home of investor John Paulson.

CNN’s Jackie Wattles contributed to this report.