Gesture of Dominance from Moscow

Russian state television shows nude images of the next first lady, Melania Trump — a demonstration of power from the Kremlin aimed at Donald Trump.

Donald Trump admires dictators of all kinds — and he would like to be one of them (even if he promises only to want to be one for a day, word of honor!). He is fond of Vladimir Putin in particular, whose heinous authoritarian reign obviously impresses him. It was clear that Putin also wanted Trump to win the election. Recently, the Department of Justice uncovered an operation by the Russian state to influence extreme right-wing American media personalities.

That’s why it’s not surprising that Russian state television is now running a sexist attack against the reelected president’s wife: A news program showed a montage of nude images of Melania Trump from a photo shoot for GQ magazine from her time as a model in the early 2000s. The images are not new; they had already surfaced during the 2016 election. Judging by the smirks of the moderator couple, Yevgeny Popov and Olga Skabeyeva, the slideshow of Melania’s long-known nude images was intended to be classic slut-shaming. But most of all, it is a demonstration of power from the Kremlin. Unlike other heads of state, Putin did not immediately congratulate Trump after his election victory — an attempt to make the United States look small and insignificant as a world power. This in itself was a message.

According to the Kyiv Post, a televised broadcast like this must be approved by Putin. It is a power play to embarrass Trump and another gentle threat toward the United States.

Pressure on Trump Garnished with Flattery

The logic behind this is deeply sexist: Melania Trump, the wife, is seen as the husband’s property, her nudity as shameful. It is a gesture of dominance that fits the tone of Putin adviser Nikolai Patrushev, who ominously commented on Trump’s election victory: “To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.” This is a statement which, at the very least, makes it clear that Russian influence also could have helped Trump win the election.

Additionally, Trump likely angered Putin when Trump claimed to the Wall Street Journal in October that he threatened to attack Moscow during his first term if Putin attacked Ukraine. Putin denied this. Putin’s press secretary also denied a report by The Washington Post about a telephone call between Trump and Putin.

Then, a few days ago, Putin made a public statement on Trump’s election victory. He remarked that Trump reacted in a “masculine” and “brave” way to the assassination attempt and that he expects a sign from Washington that Trump would make good on his promise to end the war in Ukraine quickly.

Signs from the Kremlin point in one direction: clear demonstrations of power aimed at Trump, garnished with flattery here and there.

In this situation, Melania Trump is only a means to an end to send her husband an unequivocal message: Don’t get carried away. Putin’s goal is clear — pressure Trump as much as possible, because it is likely in Putin’s interest that Trump forces Volodymyr Zelenskyy as quickly as possible to the negotiating table, to ceding territory and to a cease-fire.