Donald Trump entered the convention backlit amid theatrical smoke as Queen’s We Are the Champions resounded. He introduced Melania – “my wife, an amazing mother, an incredible woman”, and, it transpires, not a particularly original speechmaker.
The would-be first lady went on, with some poise, to deliver remarks that suggested she is so eager to emulate Michelle Obama that she will repeat her almost verbatim.
“From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do,” she said.
At the 2008 Democratic convention, Obama had said: “Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do.”
There was another section too that some writers would say was borrowed or paid homage to; others would call it plagiarism.
Until some eagle-eyed viewers called her out, it had all seemed to go well for Melania in this rare public appearance at the Republican national convention. That may have been relative and had something to do with the two hours of relentless nationalism, scaremongering and emotional manipulation that preceded her.
Compared to the politicians who went before, including the raving Rudy Giuliani, the polyglot former model was a positively Evita-esque breath of fresh air. At last, a flash of razzle-dazzle we had all been promised.
When Giuliani was done, the convention hall dimmed and spotlights roved over the delegates in the sports arena and Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl belted out from the loudspeakers. The “aqua-eyed beauty”, as her website puts it, took to the shiny black stage wearing white, her 5ft 11in boosted by high heels, and sporting a giant diamond ring.
One delegate shouted: “I love you!”
Melania, 46, delivered a calm speech in an unwaveringly strong eastern European accent that appeared to charm most delegates. There was little to suggest a shift from what she said in 1999 about what role she would play if Trump became president: “I would be very traditional like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy.”
Melania could become America’s first foreign-born first lady since Louisa Adams in the 19th century and the first born and raised in a communist nation. “I was born in Slovenia, a small, beautiful and then communist country,” she recalled, with a particular emphasis on “then”.
She described moving to New York and, a decade ago, becoming a US citizen – “the greatest privilege on planet Earth”.
She did not regale her audience, or the millions watching at home, with the story of how she met Trump, 24 years her senior, at the Kit Kat Club in New York in 1998. Perhaps because it’s not exactly When Harry Met Sally: he asked for her number, she refused because he was with another date, he persisted and she gave in. And now she lives this fabulous life.
It was, all in all, a decent pitch from a likeable salesperson. Just one problem: she was singing the praises of Donald Trump, that peerless narcissist, deceiver, dodgy deal maker and demagogue. She has seen the “simple goodness of the heart that God gave him”, she said, and apparently really meant it.
“If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you he is the guy. He will never, ever give up and most importantly he will never, ever let you down. Donald is and always has been an amazing leader. Now he will go to work for you.”
Perhaps the most improbable attempt to give Trump a human face in the arena where signs proclaim “Make America great again!” came towards the end. She said: “His success indicates inclusion rather than division. Donald intends to represent all the people, not just some of the people. That includes Christians and Jews and Muslims. It includes Hispanics and African Americans and Asians and the poor and the middle class. Throughout his career, Donald has successfully worked with people of many faiths and with many nations.”
After Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, this first lady would be a throwback. Melania gave little detail about her plans for the role except to say the cause of children and women is near her heart.
On came the sound of We Are the Champions again, though thousands of balloons suspended from the ceiling will remain there until the nominee’s own speech later this week. Amid cheers and applause, Donald Trump took to the stage looking suitably chuffed, and there was an exchange of kisses. He looked at the crowd and, smiling, pointed to his wife a few times. Unwittingly, he appeared to be aiming at her breasts. But just for once, he knew when to remain silent.
