Melania Trump teases second term as first lady in first interview since leaving White House
By Kate Bennett, CNN
In Melania Trump’s first interview since leaving the White House, the former first lady hinted that there is a chance she could live there again as former President Donald Trump teases a 2024 reelection bid.
“I think we achieved a lot in four years of the Trump administration,” Melania Trump told Fox in an interview that aired Sunday morning, adding, “Never say never,” when asked if she could be living in the White House again should her husband run for reelection.
During the interview, Trump discussed what she called her “NFT projects.” The former first lady has designed and put up for sale on her personal website several non-fungible tokens, which are digital collectibles authenticated by the blockchain that is often a piece of digital art. All of the items Trump is selling can only be purchased via cryptocurrency, and the first lot of items put up for sale earlier this year failed to reach its desired monetary threshold of $250,000 for an opening bid.
The most recent NFT, titled “The MetaRose,” is a blue rose that animates. Typically, most modern first ladies establish foundations or organizations — generally not-for-profit — that further the initiatives they began during their White House tenures. Trump said again during the interview that “some of the proceeds” of the sale of the NFTs — which are listed at $150 each — will go toward supporting foster children.
CNN has multiple times sought clarity on how large a portion of the sales will be or have been dedicated to charitable endeavors, and to which charities, and has not received an answer. Trump has never publicly stated how much money she has pocketed from the sale of these digital items, which she has been selling since late last year.
Trump discussed the fact that she wasn’t featured on the cover of Vogue magazine during her time in the White House, a decades-old tradition that was resumed last year when the magazine put first lady Jill Biden on its cover.
“They’re biased and they have likes and dislikes, and it’s so obvious,” she said about why the fashion magazine never focused on her as they have other first ladies.
Trump also weighed in on the state of the US under President Joe Biden, saying, “I think it’s sad to see what’s going on, if you really look deeply into it.”
“I think a lot of people are struggling and suffering and what is going on around the world as well. So it’s very sad to see and I hope it changes fast,” Trump said.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Devan Cole contributed to this report.
