Melania Trump has surprising admission about husband Donald’s controversial political views

It's rare that Melania Trump expresses her political views, but last year she shed light on where she stands on one key issue - and it came as a surprise to some, given who her husband is.

The first lady, 54, and the 78-year-old Republican leader have been married now for 20 years but it's clear they don't always agree when it comes to political matters - something Melania has not been shy of making clear in recent months.

Ahead of Trump's inauguration earlier this year (20 January), the mum-of-one revealed exactly how she felt about returning to the first lady role for the second time around, telling Fox and Friends: "I feel I was always me the first time as well, I just feel that people didn't accept me maybe.

"They didn't understand me the way maybe they do now. And I didn't have much support. Maybe some people, they see me as just a wife of the president, but I'm standing on my own two feet. Independent."

She also noted: "I have my own thoughts, I have my own 'yes' and 'no'."

Melania also made a rare comment regarding her thoughts on her husband's views, claiming she 'doesn’t always agree' with what he is saying or doing before remarking she often tries to give him her 'advice' on various matters when they do butt heads.

"I gave him my advice, and sometimes he listens. Sometimes he doesn't and that's okay," she said.

It's clear that Melania and Donald Trump don't agree on everything (Chip Somodevilla / Staff / Getty Images)

And, in an excerpt from her self-titled memoir, Melania - who shares 19-year-old son Barron with her husband - shared that she strongly believes women should have the right to control their own bodies, something which differs massively from Trump's stance on abortion.

"It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children," she penned. "Based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government."

Melania went on to ask: "Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?

"A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes."

She continued: "Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.

"I have always believed it is critical for people to take care of themselves first. It’s a very straightforward concept; in fact, we are all born with a set of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives.

Melania has previously been very vocal about her views on women's rights and abortion (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / Contributor / Getty Images)

"We are all entitled to maintain a gratifying and dignified existence."

Describing her stance on women's rights as a 'common-sense approach', Melania insisted that it shouldn't just be cases where the mother's life is at risk that sees women permitted the right to undergo an abortion.

Instead, she lists rape, incest and 'a congenital birth defect, plus severe medical conditions' as permissible reasons that a woman could undergo an abortion.

"It is important to note that historically, most abortions conducted during the later stages of pregnancy were the result of severe fetal abnormalities that probably would have led to the death or stillbirth of the child," Melania added.

"Perhaps even the death of the mother. These cases were extremely rare and typically occurred after several consultations between the woman and her doctor."

She resolved: "As a community, we should embrace these common-sense standards. Again, timing matters."

What has Donald Trump said about abortion?

In 2016, Trump promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v Wade, and indeed, he followed through on this promise, responsible for appointing three Supreme Court justices who ultimately went on to vote to overturn Roe v Wade in 2022.

Women and people who can conceive were severely impacted when the US supreme court overturned the landmark decision which generally protected the right to have an abortion.

After this, over a dozen states have banned almost all abortions. With Trump having called these laws as a 'beautiful thing to watch'.

While Trump once suggested he might veto any anti-abortion ban that lands on his desk, many are also worrying that Project 2025, a 900-page right-wing policy 'wish list', could be where the real fear lies.

Project 2025 proposes using the 1873 Comstock Act, which bans the mailing of abortion-related materials.

In short, this stops people from shipping abortion pills which is extremely significant given that such medication accounts for around two-thirds of abortions in the US.

If the Comstock Act is enacted to its fullest consent, then Americans could see not only a ban on abortion pills but also on the equipment that clinics need to carry out the procedure.

Trump could also potentially use such legislation to roll out a nation-wide 'de facto' abortion ban.