A CNN interview? To be an ally to LGBTQ+ people? Melania Trump seems to need $250K just to show up

When I first heard the story last month that Melania Trump was paid nearly $250,000 to appear at a Log Cabin Republicans fundraiser — an LGBTQ+ Republican group, for those who don’t know and yes, I know what you’re thinking — I smelled a greedy grab.

And then today it all came together. For about the same price, $250,000, Melania Trump will also grant you an interview. CNN reported that the network reached out to the publisher of Melania Trump’s upcoming book and requested an interview. And as with Log Cabin, the publisher came back to them with an unusual request. That interview will cost you $250k.

I’ve worked in and around the media for over 30 years, and while I’ve heard people wanting to be paid for an interview, a quarter of a million dollars is outrageous. Paying for an interview goes against standard journalism ethics.

If you think she’s coming forward now in favor of reproductive freedom for women out of the goodness of her heart, you would be wrong. A vast majority of women are pro-choice, and the only reason Melania released that creepy video to create buzz for her book. If you haven’t seen the video — she probably did the video for $250,000 — it’s black-and-white with one side of her face in the dark and the other in a soft light. Is she signaling that she’s two-faced?

For Melania, it’s all about the money. Everything is transactional. There are no freebies: Just like her husband, there’s only a cold heart where cash makes her blood run.

So back to the saga when Melania attended the Log Cabin fundraiser in April of this year, it made news because it was ostensibly a “rare campaign appearance” for her husband. But that would be wrong. It was a personal appearance for a fee — there's a big distinction between the two. Regardless of semantics, the fact that she had to be paid to show up for a fundraiser was unscrupulous.

I’m not the only one who smelled a rat. A former high-ranking member of Log Cabin who asked for anonymity due to potential retaliation told me, "Based on what I've read about the payment, this seems not only unusual, but also unseemly and out of the ordinary compared to the way Log Cabin used to conduct fundraisers in the past."

I know from years of working in politics and with numerous non-profits, it’s more than unusual that you would pay someone, and they would personally benefit financially to attend a fundraiser. Not saying it never happens, but it’s rare. Very rare.

When I worked for Toys “R” Us, for example, we held our annual Children’s Fund gala to raise money for the company’s foundation. We had many big-name performers come each year to put on a benefit concert. Instead of being paid personally, the musician’s appearance fee was donated to their favorite children’s charity. That’s the way these things are usually done.

In politics, I recall a superstar athlete appearing at a political fundraiser for the congressman I worked for. His fee to attend was donated back to the campaign. That’s generally the rule, meaning Melania would appear, but her fee would be considered an in-kind donation to the Log Cabin chapter.

Finally, and this is pretty standard, if someone has to travel, expenses are usually covered by the organization. That only makes sense. But Melania was living at Mar-a-Lago in April, so she likely didn’t ask to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.

Ostensibly, Melania’s appearance was to show support for the LGBTQ+ community, but clearly that support comes with a price tag, just like an interview for her book. I have no doubt that Melania is most likely tolerant — and I use that word purposefully — of the queer community because of all her years spent in New York City’s social circles. But to demand six figures to speak to the community seems avaricious.

But to call Melania an ally would be wrong. She’s not an ally if she has to be paid to spend a few minutes in a room with a bunch of rich queers.

It appears that the local chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans has been a cash cow for Melania. According to CNN again, she received around $240,000 for an event in December 2022, after Donald announced he was running for the presidency again..

The group says it did not pay her, so who did? According to reporting from CNN, there are rumors it was Donald’s sycophant Richard Grenell, Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and briefly national security adviser. If that’s the case, then Melania’s recent campaign filing where she indicates she was paid $237,500 by Log Cabin is either a lie, a perplexing mistake, or someone is hiding something? Grenell was part of the host committee of the event.

CNN also added that in July, when Melania appeared again at another Log Cabin fundraiser, this time at the Trump home in Trump Tower, there was a request made to a donor about a similar payment — wanna guess how much? But CNN said it wasn’t clear if Melania was ever paid.

I reached out to Log Cabin and asked for answers, and did not receive a response. No surprise there.

I have news for Melania - no one is going to pay her that kind of money for an interview about her book. And by the way, it sounds like a light read.

Therefore, don’t look for Melania to appear on CNN or shows like The View, Live With Kelly and Mark, and Today. Perhaps Sean Hannity will pay her the $250,00.

If all else fails, Melania can host another fundraising event for the Log Cabin Republicans, where she’s assured of getting paid her standard fee.

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