Melania Trump Makes Rare Appearance at National Archives Naturalization Ceremony After Being Trolled for Speaking About 'Freedom'
Dec. 15 2023, Published 1:27 p.m. ET
Melania Trump made a rare appearance on Friday, December 15, when she made some remarks at the National Archives Naturalization Ceremony — just one day after she was mocked for speaking about "freedom."
“For me, reaching the milestone of American citizenship marked the sunrise of certainty,” the 53-year-old said, adding that she felt a "tremendous sense of pride and belonging" after she took the United States Oath of Allegiance prior to becoming a U.S. citizen. “At that exact moment, I forever discarded the layer of burden connected with whether I would be able to live in the United States. I hope you’re blanketed with similar feelings of comfort right now.”
The former first lady, who is married to Donald Trump, spoke to 25 newly naturalized citizens in Washington, D.C., In her speech, she talked about growing up in Slovenia and then moving to New York City in 1996.
Though the immigration process was not easy, she was adamant on living in the Big Apple.
“My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities these people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens,” Melania said.
Melania became a naturalized citizen in 2006.
“Becoming an American citizen comes with responsibility, it means actively participating in the democratic process and guarding our freedom,” she told the crowd. “It also means leading by example and contributing to our society. It is a life altering experience that takes time, determination and sometimes, even tremendous strength.”
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As OK! previously reported, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and aide to the model, was not impressed by her recent outing.
“The hypocrisy of Melania Trump hosting a naturalization event at the National Archives (where Donald is under investigation) is right up there with her so-called Be Best anti-bullying platform (where Donald is Bully #1). This is a strategic move on Donald & Melania’s part," she wrote.
“Melania is a vessel of complicity & distraction trying to create a stark contrast from their reality. The Trump’s [sic] ‘actions’ contradict their so called ‘beliefs and values," she continued. “As a mother and wife and someone who cares deeply about our democracy and American values, I know Melania Trump, and she doesn’t care about US.”
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Others also weighed in on Melania's latest sighting. One person wrote, "A mail order bride whose anti-immigrant sugar daddy says he’ll be a dictator on day one speaking to new American citizens about guarding our freedom? It’s like asking Steve Bannon to speak to AA members about the benefits of sobriety," while another said, How is she speaking to immigrants, about freedom I think she needs to update her software because when you remove the freedoms from American citizens that doesn’t make the country free. It just makes you free to be a racist, a bigot and an all-around pain in the [a--]."