Melania Trump said her husband is doing “the best that he can” as his second term is increasingly dominated by wars involving Iran and Ukraine.
The first lady offered the measured assessment during an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, one day after President Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“He’s very focused. He has a lot on his plate. It’s very different, what’s going on around the world now. But I think he’s doing the best that he can,” Melania said of the administration’s second term.
She added that Trump works relentlessly, saying he has “the most energy than anybody” and remains on the job from morning through evening.
Fox host Brian Kilmeade noted that Trump frequently seeks his wife’s reaction to his speeches and interviews before asking her to assess his performance at the United Nations.
“I told him he had great delivery, he did very well. And a great speech,” Melania replied.
“I tell him the truth. Sometimes he doesn’t want to hear it, what I tell him, but that’s okay. I always say the truth,” she said.
Melania was seated in the UN chamber on Tuesday as her 80-year-old husband warned that he could “annihilate the Islamic Republic” of Iran and called on countries to impose its “complete economic isolation.”
Melania praised Donald Trump’s address to the United Nations General Assembly during her Wednesday appearance on Fox & Friends, hours after his speech in New York
Donald Trump speaks to the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on Tuesday
Melania Trump sits alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the United Nations
Trump also paused during his address to look for his wife in the chamber after crediting her with helping secure the return of “many displaced Ukrainian and Russian children.”
“Where is our First Lady? Where is she? She’s around here someplace. Can you imagine? I can’t see the First Lady,” he said.
Melania appeared on Fox to promote Imperia, a women’s leadership summit described by its hosts as a “Davos for executive women.” She later rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange at 9:30 a.m. Fox News Media is a partner in the event.
She told the program’s hosts that she maintains “a direct channel with Russia, and with Ukraine,” while her representative continues efforts to reunite children displaced by the war with their families.
Trump told the UN that he was working “very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine” and vowed, “we will get that one done.”
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He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the gathering Tuesday. According to The Wall Street Journal, Zelensky asked for a “winter package” of additional weapons, including Patriot missile defense systems.
Trump has also urged Zelensky to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, following a sharp rise in US diesel prices. Russia accounts for roughly 10 percent of the world’s seaborne diesel trade.
The worsening conflict is putting fresh strain on global energy markets, which are already facing disruption from the war involving Iran. Tehran-backed Houthi militants have tightened their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital waterway linking Yemen with the Horn of Africa.
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Trump clashes with reporters as Melania watches on
Melania arrives to hear her husband speak
Melania greets Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the UN
Melania trailed by Rubio enters the UN ahead of her husband’s speech
Trump said his envoys envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff held ‘very productive’ talks with the Iranian UN delegation aimed at ending the war.
Melania also used her Fox interview to trail a new two-part docuseries, which she said would include ‘some private questions that I will answer that people never heard before.’
‘It’s more conversation one on one with me,’ she said, adding that the series could land in November but no date had been set.
It follows her documentary Melania, directed by Brett Ratner and distributed by Amazon Prime Video.
Trump is due to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, his first state visit to Washington in 11 years.
‘He decided to because they have a great relationship and he’s coming on our soil and we need to welcome them with the most respect,’ Melania said.
She said she will take Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan to the Smithsonian on Thursday, ahead of the state dinner that night. The couples are then due to take tea at the White House on Friday before touring the National Archives together.