Former first lady Melania Trump spurred confusion Wednesday when she declared her outrage that the press would not stop asking about the nude photos taken of her as a professional model — which she compared to the works of Paul Cézanne and Michelangelo.
Mrs. Trump explained her decision to pose naked in a promotional video (which included a photo array of famous nude portraits) for her soon-to-be released memoirs, and despite her professed frustration with the media’s interest.
“Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work?” Melania Trump says via voiceover in a new X video. “The more pressing question is why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?”
This take confused two political commentators, among them journalist Aaron Rupar, who wrote:
“NOBODY:
“NOT A SINGLE SOUL IN THE WORLD:
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“MELANIA TRUMP: Let’s talk about my nude modeling career.”
Former litigator and frequent MSNBC guest Elie Mystal also expressed his confusion through dialogue.
Everybody: …
Melania: WHY DOES EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT ME POSING NAKED!!??
Everybody: … who are you talking to right now?
Melania: HERE IS SOME NAKED ART.
Everybody: okay.
Melania: BUY MY BOOK!
Everybody: Is it… is it a picture book?
Melania: DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT!
Adam Parkhomenko, a Democratic strategist, suggested with sarcasm the promotional video suggested a tight collaboration between the former first lady and her husband, Donald.
“Between Trump’s silly crypto scam and Melania talking about her nude modeling,” he wrote, “you really have to appreciate how laser focused they are on the campaign 48 days out.”
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The political group Republicans Against Trump admitted they did not immediately believe the video was genuine.
“I thought this new video from Melania Trump was fake, but no,” they wrote. “She actually posted it on Twitter. I guess she’s desperate to sell as many copies of her new ‘book’ before the Donald loses in November.”
Keith Boykin, former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, took a more serious tone, arguing Melania Trump was held to a different set of standards than former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“Nobody on the left cares that Melania Trump did nude modeling,” he wrote. “We do care that Republicans want to police our bedrooms, our doctors, and our books, and ban pornography. We know that if a Black First Lady posed nude, Republicans would lose it. It’s the hypocrisy, not the nudity.”
