Donald, Melania Trump Make Rare Appearance Together At Wisconsin Rally
Donald and Melania Trump appeared together in a rare joint appearance at a rally in Wisconsin on Monday, and the possible next First Lady of the United States used the occasion to address the GOP front-runner’s history of making controversial and demeaning statements about women.
As People reports, Melania joined her husband, Donald, on stage at a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, on Monday night, a rare appearance for the mother of 10-year-old Barron Trump, who chooses to focus on being a mother rather than hitting the campaign trail for her husband.
Melania took advantage of the appearance to address her husband’s long string of comments about women, choosing at first to focus on what she views as Donald’s positive qualities.
“I am very proud of him. He’s kind. He has a great heart. He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s a great negotiator. He’s telling the truth. He’s a great leader. He’s fair.”
As for Donald’s controversial comments about women, Melania noted that her husband doesn’t hold back against his critics, be they male or female.
“As you know now, when you attack him he will punch back 10 times harder no matter who you are – a man or a woman. He treats everyone equal. He’s a fighter and if you elect him to be your president he will fight for you and our country. He will work for you and with you and together we will make America strong and great again.”
Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign for president has been marred by a series of incidents and statements that have earned him the label of “misogynist” to some observers.
Back in August 2015, at a Republican Party debate, host Megyn Kelly of Fox News asked Trump some hard-hitting questions that Trump considered unfair. Trump then went on the offensive against Kelly, according to the Huffington Post, at one point telling CNN’s Don Lemon that Kelly had “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever,” a remark that was seen as a vulgar reference to menstruation.
Trump later made the campaign personal, tweeting an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz, the wife of his main rival for the GOP nomination, Ted Cruz. The picture was juxtaposed with a flattering picture of Melania, a former model.
“@Don_Vito_08: “A picture is worth a thousand words” @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/5bvVEwMVF8”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2016
Most recently, Trump alienated some women by suggesting that women who have abortions should be “punished,” according to the Washington Post. Hours later, he retracted from that statement, saying that doctors who perform illegal abortions should be punished. Later still, Trump said that the states should be free to set their own abortion restrictions; then he said that the laws should remain the same on abortion.
Trump’s “evolving” stance on abortion notwithstanding, so long is his history of disparaging remarks against women that an anti-Trump group, the Our Principles PAC, released a video showing women reading aloud remarks Donald has made about women going as far back as the middle 1990s.
Melania Trump wasn’t the only woman to publicly defend Donald at Monday’ night’s Wisconsin rally. Also joining him on stage was former Miss Wisconsin Melissa Consin Young.
“I love this man. He changed my world. He gave me the gift of compassion and showing my son how to pay it forward. He is the greatest man I ever met and he is going to make America great again.”
Do you believe Melania Trump can help Donald’s campaign and make a good First Lady?
[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
