Melania Trump on Friday announced she’d established a kind of peace “truce” and ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. The lingering question is why.
“I actually believe that the first lady deserves some level of formal recognition for what she’s done here. 34 children have been reunited as a result of being displaced from the Ukraine-Russia war, and this has occurred now across six different events,” said Marc Beckman, a senior advisor to the first lady, told the Irish Star.
The Bulwark’s Sam Stein mocked the release from the White House on Friday, noting, “Melania Trump has managed to do what her husband couldn’t: forge a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.” He mentioned the Nobel Peace Prize account along with it.
Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been trying to negotiate for over a year without success.
Nico Hines, global editorial director, hosts a weekly podcast with Allison Quinn about Russian President Vladimir Putin. His theory is that it’s about trying to win the Nobel Peace Prize when her husband can’t.
“What would that do for the marriage, Hugh?” asked Daily Beast podcast host Joanna Coles, chatting with Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty. “Well, I guess she’d have to give it to him. She’d have to give it to him like [María Corina] Machado.”
“He’d have two. One on each, one on each side of the Resolute Desk,” suggested Dougherty.
“And neither of them would be his,” Coles smirked, prompting Dougherty to chuckle.
“I don’t know, is that what you want in the White House? Like competing — competing people going for the Peace Prize. It’s kind of remarkable. It’s very unexpected. And of course, Joana, you also have a theory about what this is good for.
It’s all copy.”
Coles said she is speaking with biographer Michael Wolff about it on Saturday, and he will likely say it’s really just for content purposes for the reality show. Mrs. Trump has a deal with Amazon for a reality TV show about her life. While Marc Beckman is an advisor to her, he’s also a producer for Amazon.
“What do first ladies do? Well, they become independent intermediaries, and they’re, you know, organizing peace treaties that their husbands can’t appear to get done,” Coles quipped. “It does sound strange, though, this line about ‘and some of them can go to Russia.’ That sounds like it must be some sort of compromise line that someone has put in for her, or a confident line.”
The line she is referring to is the part of the press release saying that the children can either go to Russia or they can go to Ukraine but that they have a choice.
Dougherty highlighted the part of the release claiming that an “impartial media organization” accompanied her. He doubts it is someone like ABC or CNN. He went on to encourage Mrs. Trump to pick them as the outlet.
They moved on to talk about the strange noises that appear to be coming out of Trump this week.