Melania gets a rebrand as her husband’s campaign struggles with damage control

As Donald Trump fields a shitstorm of self-inflicted injuries–ranging from his four ongoing criminal cases to his latest remarks about abortion that have sent the entire GOP into a tailspin–his campaign is in full-on damage control mode. And they’re looking to Melania for help.

An insider told The New York Post this week that the ex-FLOTUS could be the “secret weapon” Trump needs to appeal to voters in swing states after several polls have now found his unfavorable ratings only seem to be getting worse.

The most recent YouGov survey released this week found 55% of respondents held an negative view of the one-term, twice-impeached, quadruply-indicted ex-president, compared to just 43% who said they held a positive one.

“The Trump campaign recognizes that Melania is their secret weapon,” the insider said. “Her appeal is critical to win battleground states and undecided voters, especially now that they’ve won the primary and are hyper-focused on the general.”

But we’re not quite sure what “appeal” this person is talking about.

Melania herself holds the record for worst final popularity rating for a first lady since Pat Nixon. She left the White House in January 2021 with a 47% unfavorable rating and, like her husband, remains deeply unpopular to this day. On top of that, she hasn’t made any meaningful efforts to repair her reputation.

Since Trump first announced his latest presidential bid a year and a half ago, she has only attended a small handful of his campaign events and given a total of–checks notes–one interview to Fox News almost a year ago, which she used to plug her latest line of NFTs.

Last week, it was reported Melania will appear at a Log Cabin Republicans dinner at Mar-a-Lago on April 20. “She is very selective and methodical in what she wants to do and how she presents herself,” a source close to Trump’s camp told CNN.

It’s unclear whether she’s being compensated for the appearance, but we wouldn’t be surprised. CNN reported last summer that she made over $1.2 million in speaking fees the previous year, and that her going rate for a Michelle Obama-penned speech averages around $155,000.

Another campaign insider told The Post this week that, despite all evidence to the contrary, Melania deeply loves her husband and believes he will make an excellent president once again.

“It is a real marriage and Melania is absolutely his biggest supporter… and all in on Trump,” the source said. “They want the public to see that too.”

And GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren added she continues to be a huge draw.

“People will ask me if Melania will be at a fundraiser before they sign up,” she said. “People really like her… she is a huge asset to the campaign and to fundraising.”

Speaking of fundraising, the Biden campaign has been outraising the Trump campaign by millions and millions and millions of dollars.

The most recent filings from January showed Biden hitting $155 million in fundraising dollars, compared to Trump’s far less impressive $36 million, although the ex-president has pulled in significantly more money the past couple of weeks.

He reportedly raked in $50 million just last weekend with the help of billionaire John Paulson, who hosted a private fundraiser on Trump’s behalf at his $100 million Palm Beach mansion. Melania attended the event and was said to be “all smiles” as she watched the cash roll in.

“The former first lady, who usually appears quite serious in photographs, seemed to never stop smiling Saturday night and was charming and talkative to all the guests,” an insider told Page Six afterwards. “She’s ready to be first lady again and clearly enjoyed the evening.”

That said, a huge chunk of Trump’s fundraising dollars are being funneled towards his legal bills, which have now exceeded $550 million. So who knows how much of that $50 million will go towards his actual presidential campaign, or how long Melania will stick around before she loses interest and decides to go back to working on her scrapbooks.