By Colleen O’Connor
Melania Trump is a better indicator of her husband Donald’s fate than special prosecutor Robert Muller’s investigation, the Congressional hearings into Russian meddling in our elections, or even the acrimonious government shutdown debate.
These are welcome distractions. On that, Donald Trump Jr. is probably correct when he opined, “The shutdown is good thing for us politically.”
Read between the lines: Uglier news coming. Keep the anti-immigration chaos going.
Thus, Melania’s recent decision to skip this weeks’ trip to Davos, Switzerland, speaks volumes.
Why?
As the most popular Trump, Melania is the President’s ultimate protector, distracter and enabler.
But, cracks have appeared. The icy inaugural first dance. The hand slap walk. And the five months’ delay in moving to Washington.
The President, alone on the stage, doesn’t sell well. He knows that and so does his wife.
But, she also knew what he was when she married him.
Melania is not only privy to Trump’s rather reckless, unseemly, and certainly heretofore “un-presidential” behavior, she also knows from whence the political and legal tsunami is coming—and where it is going.
For starters, every individual in or near power, knows precisely what is about to break in the news—days if not weeks ahead of time. The practice of responsible journalism guarantees this. Journalists must stick to the facts, not the rumors, so they must seek information, twice confirm their sources, and then ask the target of the story to “comment.”
Thus, the individuals, or their representatives, know far in advance of the headlines and prepare their “talking points” accordingly. They also disseminate them quickly (in the age of Twitter, the President usually begins the flow) to the Internet and mainstream news outlets.
In short, Melania already knows or suspects most of what Mueller and other insiders already suspect.
Thus, according to Michael Wolff—in his blockbuster new book, Fire and Fury, Melania, “shed tears” on the night of Trump’s election, “but not of joy.” And he has claimed that Trump is having an affair in the White House.
Uglier news is coming.
And that uglier news is not just the story of porn star Stormy Daniels’ affair with the President or her reported $130,000 hush-money payoff via a limited liability company. Or the now dull, by comparison, Access Hollywood tape.
Or the probability that there exist more than the 22 women who have accused Trump of unwanted sexual advances. Steve Bannon, the now dismissed senior advisor to Trump, claimed there may be hundreds more.
As quoted in the Wolff book, Bannon said, “Look, attorney Marc Kasowitz has known [Trump] for twenty-five years. Kasowitz has gotten him out of all kinds of jams. Kasowitz on the campaign — what did we have, a hundred women? Kasowitz took care of all of them.”
These are now just breadcrumb clues.
Follow Melania.
She recently hired new staff: a director of operations, a policy director and a communications coordinator. Yet she has not made a public statement since Jan. 12, when the Stormy Daniels news surfaced. And she was not spotted at recent dinners hosted by Trump.
And now her “scheduling and logistics” excuse for canceling the Davos trip has sparked more divorce speculation.
As First Lady, Melania continues to keep her focus on children’s needs and comport herself with grace and statuesque elegance.
So, does Melania move back to New York to “protect her son,” file for divorce, continue to accept the humiliation, or free herself? Maybe that is why she needed three new staffers. Ever read a divorce filing?
Small wonder that sympathetic actress Candace Bergen was spotted wearing a “Free Melania” T-shirt.
She knows what is coming.
Colleen O’Connor is a native San Diegan and a retired college professor.