Melania Trump had blunt response to public's common misconception about her

First Lady Melania Trump is very aware of what people think of her and believes she is misrepresented by the media.

When asked what the biggest thing the public gets wrong about her is, she gave a rather blunt answer.

Last year, the 54-year-old former model was notably missing from husband Donald Trump's side during his campaign to be re-elected as US president.

Many took Melania's absence as a lack of interest in the election, but speaking to DuJour, she set the record straight.

"I am very involved at home. I give a lot of advice to my husband and tell him how it is and how I see it. I’m not backing off. I tell him the truth," she explained. "After a speech, the kids are calling me - Ivanka, [his] sons - saying, 'Call dad and tell him this and that. He’s listening to you.'"

Melania also spoke about how she's had to develop a thick skin being married to the 78-year-old.

"When you walk in a room, everybody knows the person. Sometimes people see you with that man and maybe they know more about the man, and they judge you or see you differently. You need to know who you are and you need to be very secure," she said.

First Lady Melania Trump says the media often misrepresents her (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

As for the public's biggest misconception of her, Melania - who describes herself as 'fiercely independent' - said: "That I'm shy. "I’m not shy. I know what I want, and I’m selective."

The First Lady has been subject to a lot of backlash during her husband's two terms as president.

A recent speech at the International Women of Courage awards left a sour taste in the mouths of a handful of attendees with some branding it 'creepy.'

Among those to appear at the awards were Israeli lawyer Amit Soussana, human rights advocate Henriette Da and Sri Lankan investigative journalist Namini Wijedasa.

During her speech, Melania attempted to link the honourees' tales of bravery with her own life.

She says that the public's misconception is that she's shy when she's in fact 'selective' and 'fiercely independent' (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Melania said: "Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing that love fuels the call for justice."

"I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times.

"Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles."

But many weren't impressed, with people quickly accusing the Slovenian national of comparing their much larger struggles to her own.

One X (formerly Twitter) user said: "My god is she creepy."

Another wrote: "On its own, not creepy. Teleprompter wooden, yes. But the darker affiliation she has is utterly bizarre and her words are hollow like."

And a third commented: "she’s so…insincere, that her efforts to appear sincere only emphasize the opposite."

• Donald Trump shares awkward autocorrect mistake that almost got him in trouble with Melania
• Melania Trump’s unexpected compliment to Donald sparks brutal reaction from crowd
• Donald Trump has furious response to Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘apology’ over Melania Trump ‘widow’ joke
• Melania Trump’s response to husband Donald’s comments about Putin leaves people shocked