Melania Trump ‘livid’ as immigration raid overshadows $75m unveiling | US | News

Melania Trump is reportedly furious that Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis overshadowed the launch of her new documentary, and Kristi Noem was unexpectedly caught in the crossfire of the chaos.

On the Inside Trump’s Head podcast, author Michael Wolff claimed that the First Lady’s meticulously planned launch week was dazzled when it was derailed when ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed during a federal immigration raid.

“This was supposed to be Melania week,” Wolff said, detailing that outrage over the deportation attempt quickly made headlines and deprived him of the media attention he expected for the Kennedy Center premiere of his $75 million film.

He claimed Melania was “really pissed off” as the scandal broke just hours before a private screening for wealthy donors and VIPs.

Wolff claimed the backlash forced Trump to sideline several top advisers and cabinet members who oversee the Minnesota operation.

“You can’t alienate the first lady so much that she becomes a problem with the president,” Wolff said.

“Almost everyone in the White House agrees this is a trap.”

He added: “Trump is not influenced by normal political considerations, but by a sad wife.”

According to Wolff’s account, the president began to soften his deportation strategy on the evening of Melania’s gala. “Alex Pretti’s shoot is on Saturday morning. Melania’s screening is on Saturday evening,” he said.

“During this period, Trump begins to change his view.”

On Monday, Trump removed Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino from his post in Minneapolis and assigned Border Czar Tom Homan to oversee the matter.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had previously described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” now appears to be in a precarious situation following her two-hour meeting with Trump.

While calls for him to go are nearly universal among Democrats, even Republicans may now feel empowered to express their concerns; especially considering that Trump summoned him to the Oval Office on Tuesday to address his administration’s recent spate of killings of anti-ICE demonstrators.

Wolff also noted Melania’s previous influence on immigration issues, recalling Trump’s intervention on family separations at the border during his first administration; this policy was ultimately abandoned.