Ukrainians have taken to social media in celebration of Melania Trump, transforming the First Lady into an unlikely internet heroine following comments made by her husband, Donald Trump, that appeared to credit her with altering his stance on Russia.
During a meeting at the White House on Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the president suggested that his wife had played a key role in drawing attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s duplicity.
“My conversations with him [Putin] are always very pleasant. I say, isn’t that a very lovely conversation? And then the missiles go off that night,” Trump told reporters. “I go home, I tell the First Lady: I spoke with Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation. She said: Really? Another city was just hit.”
Social media users across Ukraine quickly seized on the moment, dubbing Melania “Agent Melania Trumpenko” and portraying her as a secret pro-Ukrainian operative within the White House. One popular meme shows her wearing a blazer emblazoned with Ukraine’s trident insignia, her face half-shaded by a wide-brimmed hat, the image suggesting she is working covertly on Kyiv’s behalf.
About Melania Trump
Melania, who was born in Slovenia and grew up in the former Yugoslavia, has previously voiced sympathy for Ukraine. In the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, she urged her followers on social media to donate to the Red Cross, describing the scenes from Ukraine as “heartbreaking and horrific.”
By contrast, her husband has drawn criticism for his stance on the conflict. Earlier this year, he referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator” and repeatedly expressed scepticism about American aid to the country.
The Ukrainian magazine Business in Ukraine noted on Monday night that “there is a lot of love on social media tonight for Melania Trump” after news broke that the US would be sending Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, a move many believed she had subtly influenced.
One widely shared meme borrows from a longstanding internet template that features three cartoonish figures donning military helmets, a nod to Western politicians or celebrities seen as supportive of Ukraine. In the reimagined version, the trio crowns Melania with a hat decorated with the Ukrainian flag.
Another meme doing the rounds shows the First Lady standing behind her husband in the Oval Office as he signs a document, with the caption: “Sisters Melania of the Bene Gesserit” a playful reference to the powerful and enigmatic sisterhood from Frank Herbert’s Dune series, known for shaping events from the shadows.
