Melania Trump redefines ‘honesty’ to apply to Donald Trump

To attest to President Trump's character, Melania Trump's RNC speech had to unfold in 'a parallel universe' that ignored his extensive record of making false claims in office.

Melania Trump’s job at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night was to sell Americans — particularly the crucial voting block of suburban women — on the idea that President Donald Trump is an authentic, caring and uncompromising leader who deserves to be re-elected.

The first lady scored points with political analysts by being the first speaker at the convention to express sorrow for the nearly 180,000 people who have died from COVID-19. Standing behind a lectern in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden, the Slovenian-born former model spoke about the pandemic as a human tragedy. She also expressed gratitude to first responders and pushed for unity and civility as Americans struggle with economic hardship and racial conflict.

Melania Trump, above all, tried to offer a conciliatory contrast to the inflammatory rhetoric coming from many of the the convention’s other speakers, including her husband’s children, Donald Jr., Eric and Tiffany Trump, who railed against Democrats, the media and “cancel culture,” and who pushed an apocalyptic vision of America under Joe Biden.

The first lady faced a bigger challenge when she took a few moments out of her 27-minute speech to attest to the president’s character and concern for other people.

During those moments, it became apparent how much Melania Trump’s speech was unfolding in “a parallel universe” that didn’t recognize the turbulence and divisiveness of her husband’s presidency, CNN writers Stephen Collinson and Maeve Reston wrote.

Melania Trump’s willingness to operate in this parallel universe became most evident when she spoke about her husband’s “honesty.”

To make a case for Trump being an honest person, Melania Trump had to redefine how the term is understood by most people and ignore an extensive historical record. Since Trump took office, he has been caught making more than 20,000 false or misleading claims, according to an ongoing analysis by the Washington Post.

In her well-crafted speech, the first lady said carefully, “We all know Donald Trump makes no secrets about how he feels about things. But honesty is what we as citizens deserve from our president. Whether you like it or not, you always know what he’s thinking, and that is because he’s an authentic person who loves this country and its people and wants to continue to make it better.”

So, in Melania Trump’s definition, her husband is “honest” and “authentic” because he “always” says what’s on his mind — whether or not his tweets and comments at press conferences and White House coronavirus briefings have any basis in fact.

Melania Trump’s attempt to sell Americans on her husband’s honesty came amid a flurry of new reports that further question his integrity and concern for anyone who doesn’t serve his political and personal interests.

Last week, Trump’s estranged niece, Mary Trump, shared recordings she made of Trump’s older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry. In the recordings, Barry said her brother didn’t care about helping others and couldn’t be trusted. “He has no principles. None. None.”

On Monday, court papers were made public, revealing that the New York State attorney general’s office has stepped up its inquiry into whether Trump and his company committed fraud by overstating assets to get loans and tax benefits. Manhattan prosecutors also revealed earlier this month that they are separately investigating Trump and his company for possible bank and insurance fraud.

Meanwhile, proceedings in yet another court case addressed Trump’s honesty in his personal life. A California judge last week ordered the president to pay porn star Stormy Daniels $44,000 to cover legal fees stemming from her lawsuit over a non-disclosure agreement she had with the president, which barred her from talking publicly about an affair she said they had in 2006 and 2007. Trump has denied the affair, which Daniels said began several months after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron.

Melania Trump’s own ability to be forthcoming may soon come into question with the publication of a new tell-all book. The book, by Melania Trump’s former friend and White House staffer, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, reportedly will reveal disparaging things the first lady said in private about her husband and his adult children.

Wolkoff reportedly has recordings of Melania Trump sharing her personal concerns about her husband. The book, “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,” is due to be published Sept. 1.

But for 27 minutes in the Rose Garden on Tuesday night, Melania Trump tried to present a universe in which such negative news about her husband didn’t exist. She  tried to convey that her husband’s administration takes crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, seriously — even though, observers noted, her Rose Garden audience didn’t observe social distancing and few in the crowd wore masks.

“In my husband, you have a president who will not stop fighting for you and your families,” Melania Trump said. “I see how hard he works, each day and night, And despite the unprecedented attacks from the media and opposition. He will not give up. In fact, if you tell him it cannot be done, he just works harder.”