Melania slams Trump's first wife for calling herself 'first lady'

The Czech-American businesswoman also boasted of having a direct line to the White House

IANS  |  Washington 

Even the US President has described  Melania Trump (pictured), a 47-year-old former model and native of Slovenia, as more happy at home than working the social scene
Melania Trump

Trump's current wife Melania slammed the US President's first wife, who called herself "first lady" as "attention-seeking and self-serving noise", the media reported.

On Monday, in an ABC interview ahead of the release of her memoir, "Raising Trump", said she was "basically first wife, I'm first lady".

The Czech-American businesswoman also boasted of having a direct line to the White House which she uses to she talk to the President about once every 14 days.

"I have the direct number to White House but I don't really want to call him there because Melania is there and I don't really want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that because I'm basically first wife, OK? I'm first lady, OK?" she told ABC, laughing.

The current First Lady fired back via a sharply-worded statement to CNN from her communications director, Stephanie Grisham later on Monday.

"Mrs. (Melania) has made the White House a home for Barron and the President. She loves living in Washington D.C., and is honoured by her role as First Lady of the United States. She plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books," Grisham said in the statement

"There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise."

and divorced in 1992 after 15 years following his tabloid affair with TV personality Marla Maples, reports CNN.

Trump, who is the mother of the President's three eldest children, Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, does not refer to Maples, by name in her book, which comes out Tuesday, only calling her "showgirl".

"during the divorce was brutal. He took the divorce as a business deal and he cannot lose, he has to win," said during the ABC interview, adding that they were now "friends".

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, October 10 2017. 12:49 IST