In an unusual move for a presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump paid an early visit to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland to introduce his wife, Melania, before her much-anticipated speech. Melania Trump has not been as vocal on the campaign trail as his oldest daughter Ivanka, but on Monday night, she offered everyone a glimpse into what kind of First Lady she would be. And Trump's reaction to Melania's RNC speech showed a surprising side of the presidential hopeful.
In the hours leading up to Melania's speech, Trump told Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor that "Hopefully, she's going to say that she really loves her husband and she understands me," and referred to his wife as "a terrific person." When the time came for Melania to speak, her husband walked up on stage to introduce "my wife, an amazing mother, an incredible woman, Melania Trump" as Queen's "We Are The Champions" played in the background. "We are going to win, we are going to win so big," he added. Trump then left the stage so Melania could begin her speech, which she reportedly rehearsed for weeks.
Melania spoke at length about her husband's leadership potential as much as she did about his personal character. "Donald wants our country to move forward in the most positive of ways," she said. "Everyone wants change. Donald is the only one who can deliver it. We should not be satisfied with stagnation. Donald wants prosperity for all Americans."
She also used her speech as an opportunity to defend her husband from the criticisms he has received on the campaign trail in the past year:
My husband offers a new direction, welcoming change, prosperity and greater cooperation among peoples and nations. 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.
Melania went on to talk about her own passion for working to improve the lives of women and children, and when she wrapped up by saying that her husband was "ready to serve and lead this country as the next president of the United States," Trump walked back up on stage to kiss his wife and show her off to the crowd.
The occasion of his wife's speech brought out a very unusual side of the business mogul. Whereas he recently spoke at length while introducing his running mate, Mike Pence, Trump made an uncharacteristically brief appearance at the RNC and quickly got out of the way so that Melania could speak. It was obvious that he was proud of her, and Melania's well-rehearsed speech made some critics wonder if the wrong Trump was heading the ticket.
