TORONTO -- A new unauthorized biography about Melania Trump aims to strip away some of the mystery surrounding the First Lady.
âFree, Melania,â released on Tuesday, was penned by , who describes Trump as âcalculated, quiet and independentâ-- and not to be underestimated.
The title appears to be a play on the viral hashtag which surfaced soon after Trumpâs inauguration, alleging that the First Lady was a victim of circumstance.
The book digs into some of the major events surrounding the first family and rampant theories about what life is like behind closed doors.
The book alleges that the First Lady often weighs in on her husbandâs decisions both in the political sphere and how he deals with his staff -- dispelling the myth of the presidentâs wife being a âbystanderâ in the corridors of power.
The speech that she gave at the Republican National Convention, which included plagiarized passages from a previous Michelle Obama speech, apparently made the First Lady âbeside herself with guilt,â the book says.
However, the claims that the First Lady was let down not just by her speechwriter but by the president himself, as the speech only vetted by a âskeleton staff of political neophytes.â
Bennett said in an interview with ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝â Washington bureau correspondent Richard Madan that the Trumps sleep in different bedrooms in the White House, but that doesnât âindicate that thereâs trouble.â
âWeâve watched the presidentâs Twitter habits, he doesnât get a lot of sleep,â Bennett said. âHe tweets late at night and early in the morning. That can be part of it too.â
The book also offers new context on some of Trumpâs most infamous events.
For instance, Bennett writes about the jacket Trump wore during a trip to see migrant children at a border detention centre with the words âI really donât care, do u?â on the back.
The jacket was in fact a message aimed at Ivanka Trump, Bennett alleges, after the presidentâs daughter took the âcreditâ for the work the First Lady did âbehind the scenesâ pushing to end the migrant family separations at the border.
This is just one of the events detailing the friction between the two most important women in the presidentâs life according to Bennett, who says the way that the First Lady shows her anger is oftentimes more subtle.
For example, during the peak of the Stormy Daniels hush money scandal, the First Lady expressed her anger with the situation by refusing to travel with the president to his State of the Union speech.
Bennett suggests the snub was a way for Trump to express âthat sheâs maybe mad at him like things arenât so great behind the scenes.â
Even the Trumpâs decision not to get a dog for their stay in the White House is covered in the biography, just another small glimpse into the notoriously press-shy First Ladyâs daily life and decisions.
âThree years in, people still donât know what to think of Melania Trump,â Bennett said. âThey might see her as cold and distant, but we have to dig a little deeper.