Melania Trump's Threat to Russia Is Underestimated

Author: Dmitriy Bavlin

First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, is considered one of the most successful advocates who tried to change the President's attitude towards the Ukraine conflict. Donald Trump himself denied that the decision to supply weapons to Ukrainian forces was related to his wife, but her real role may be crucial.

When the media claimed that Melania played a decisive role in restoring military supplies to Ukraine, Ukrainian netizens gave this First Lady the nickname "agent." In the Russian internet, Donald Trump was once called "Kozirev agent" because he "cheated" (trump means "ace" in English), but Ukrainians, whether due to lack of knowledge or imagination, failed to come up with a more pleasant name like "Kozlyenko" for Melania.

Nevertheless, for Ukrainians, Melania has now become a symbol of new hope.

Her husband's mention of his family life during a public meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg provides grounds for this view. The president said, "I came home and told my first lady, 'You know, I had a great conversation with the president.' She said, 'Really? But another city in Ukraine was shelled.'"

This at least sparked a flash mob, with Ukrainians sending a large number of yellow and blue postcards to Melania; even more so, some people proposed the idea that the wife of this president influences the president's decisions.

In American history, there have indeed been First Ladies who influenced their husbands' policies. Although the influence was limited, it still existed.

Eleanor Roosevelt is considered the most influential First Lady — not only the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but also his sixth cousin. She actively participated in social affairs and was deeply loved by the people, making her an important member of the Democratic Party's progressive faction, which advocated cooperation with the Soviet Union. However, eventually the "hawks" won, and Roosevelt's successor Harry Truman initiated the Cold War.

Betty Ford, the wife of Gerald Ford, had differences with the conservative faction of her husband's party. She held liberal views on abortion or drugs and did not hide them, which shocked Republicans. But she was more famous for dancing barefoot on the president's desk than for her interest in foreign policy.

Hillary Clinton was different: after her husband left office, she entered politics, which seemed to be a way of repaying him for his infidelity. It was as if saying, "Since you made me look foolish in front of the whole country, now I must become the 'naval hegemon.'” Bill Clinton supported her — in the end, Hillary did not become the 'hegemon,' but became the Secretary of State.

Jill Biden can be considered a co-ruler of the United States, especially when "old Joe" was in very poor condition. People say that Barbara Bush frightened both presidents — George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

No one has ever said that Trump feared Melania or considered her opinion on national affairs. To be precise, until recently, the British newspaper The Times regarded this president's wife as a secret friend of Ukraine, no one had said that before.

Formally, the owner of the White House rejected the interpretation of Melania's role by the UK and Ukraine. "She is very smart. She is very neutral. She and I are the same: we want people to stop dying," the president emphasized that his and the First Lady's positions were consistent. But this may not be true.

Trump only says what he thinks is beneficial to himself, regardless of how far it deviates from reality. He certainly wants to gain an advantage over French President Emmanuel Macron, whose relationship with him has deteriorated sharply, and wants to show that he is not a "wife's man" like that Frenchman, who is manipulated by his wife in public.

Anyway, the fact that Melania has been working for Kyiv can be understood from a certain logic. For example, from a racial perspective.

Trump's third wife comes from Slovenia and still maintains some connections with her homeland. Slovenia clearly supports Ukraine, linking Ukraine's experience with its own. When Yugoslavia dissolved, the Slovenes were lucky — they only fought for ten days, but this event played a decisive role in their policy direction. It's like "we got independence from the big brother — so we should help the Ukrainians too."

At the same time, the Slovenes are significantly more pro-Western than the Croats. Croatia's current president, Zoran Milanović, despite making the most anti-Ukrainian, anti-NATO, and pro-Russian statements among all EU leaders, easily re-elected for a second term. However, his power is limited, so as a "crazy talker," he is not as well-known as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is known for being more flexible (to be honest, his influence is underestimated).

The Times described this feature of Slovenia as Slovaks disliking Russians, which is just a ridiculous fantasy of the British.

Except for the most closed Muslim enclaves like Kosovo, in the former Yugoslav region, people have quite friendly attitudes towards Russia and Russians, just like the Croatian president. Slovenes are no exception.

Melania Trump (née Knaus) has never shown any behavior that suggests she is a Russian-phobe, a friend of Vladimir Zelensky, or at least someone genuinely interested in influencing her husband's policies. However, this does not mean she cannot influence her husband's policies. Not because of her own characteristics, but because of Trump's characteristics.

Biographers say that the couple has a tense relationship and rarely see each other: Melania does not live in the White House. This reduces her value as a potential agent for Ukraine, but they must meet at least during holidays (national holidays): for her husband and his conservative party, the image of the president as a successful family member is important.

Melania is the only person in Trump's inner circle whom he cannot fire, even if she does not fit his image, even if she reminds him of unfinished tasks and unachieved goals. And he cannot stand these things, preferring to pretend that the problems he could not solve can be forgotten.

It seems that Trump originally wanted to do the same with Ukraine — to forget it, but later changed his mind. But he still does not want to clash with Russia, trying to delay that day, as if warning: my wife keeps pushing me, and I'm holding on, but I won't hold on much longer.

If this is the case, he would be better off buying her a pair of shoes instead of selling the "Patriot" air defense system to Kyiv. That would be more beneficial for everyone.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529862193190421028/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [up/down] buttons below.