Melania Trump, wife of presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, addresses delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention. (Getty)
Melania Trump is insisting that she has always complied with the United States’ immigration laws after new questions were raised following publication of nude photos of her.
In a tweet on Aug. 4, Melania defended herself against accusations that recent nude photographs published of her in The New York Post exposed inconsistencies in her immigration status. A story in Politico published several hours before Melania’s tweet was headlined, “Gaps in Melania Trump’s immigration story raise questions.”
The story contends that Melania’s “own statements suggest she first came to the country on a short-term visa that would not have authorized her to work as a model.” Melania was born in Slovenia. Politico said that Melania “has also said she came to New York in 1996, but the nude photo shoot places her in the United States in 1995, as does a biography published in February by Slovenian journalists.”
Melania fired back almost immediately, writing:
Melania issued a strong denial.
“In recent days there has been a lot of inaccurate reporting and misinformation concerning my immigration status back in 1996,” Melania wrote. “Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country. Period. Any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue.”
Melania said she “proudly became a U.S. citizen” in July 2006.
“Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to live, work and raise a family in this great nation and I share my husband’s love for our country,” she wrote.
Melania’s husband, Donald Trump, has made enforcing immigration laws and border security central planks in his campaign for president.
The New York Post ran the photos in its July 31 Sunday issue and said they came from the “January 1996 issue of Max, a French men’s magazine that went out of business in 2006.” The 1995 photos were taken by Alé de Basseville, a French photographer, said The New York Post.
