Melania Trump says she stands ‘proudly behind my nude modeling work’

By Kate Sullivan and Eric Bradner, CNN

(CNN) — Former first lady Melania Trump posted a new video on social media Wednesday defending her previous nude modeling work as she promoted her new book.

“Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work? The more pressing question is: Why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?” she said in the video posted on X.

The former first lady added: “Are we no longer able to appreciate the beauty of the human body? Throughout history, master artists have revered the human shape, evoking profound emotions and admiration.”

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

A spokesperson for the former first lady did not immediately respond to questions about what media scrutiny Melania Trump was referring to or whether the photographs had received recent attention.

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

Melania Trump’s history of nude modeling was highlighted in the 2016 campaign, when the New York Post published several nude photos – which were reportedly taken in 1995 and appeared in a now-defunct French men’s magazine – that had not previously been published online. The headline on its cover was “The Ogle Office.”

At the time, Donald Trump told the newspaper that the photographs were taken for a European magazine before the two knew each other and that “pictures like this are very fashionable and common.”

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

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

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

In July, she released a letter following the assassination attempt on her husband at a Pennsylvania rally, thanking Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials for protecting the former president and saying that she was thinking of her “fellow Americans” in the wake of the shooting.

Earlier this month, the former first lady appeared to be inching further into the political spotlight in the final few months of the 2024 presidential campaign, releasing a series of politically pointed social media videos.

Trump campaign advisers and close allies have said that the former first lady is supportive of her husband and his political ambitions and that she has been focused on raising their son, Barron. They added that she is very selective in choosing her political appearances.

Melania Trump has appeared infrequently at private events this year, including hosting a fundraiser for a conservative LGBTQ group, the Log Cabin Republicans, at her residence at Trump Tower in New York on July 8, as well as attending an April fundraiser alongside her husband at the home of investor John Paulson.

CNN’s Jackie Wattles contributed to this report.

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