In Amsterdam, "Balkan fashion model" is a euphemism for a hooker. This whole scenario also fits a high dollah hooker coming to America on outcalls as a tourist. doing the "modeling" pictures is part of the legal deal to avoid prostitution charges. Italian fashion agencies are notorious as fronts for call girls from Eastern Europe.

Leave Melania alone!

@2,

Agreed she seems relatively pleasant. Outspoken admiration of Michelle Obama, etc. But have you ever read anything about her husband? Dude seems like a pretty serious jerk. Seems like she opens herself up to criticism based on her taste in men alone.

@4: And she's likely very nervous and upset about what's going on and worried like the rest of the family about Donald. This is no longer politics for them; they're having to deal with a mentally ill family member and their courage should be applauded. Your comment is also pretty sexist.

Meh. Who cares? She did something that basically anyone here would do. I lived for a summer in Scotland illegally washing dishes, that doesn't make my spouse ineligible to run for office.

If she didn't get paid, is this photo shoot illegal? If she did get paid, I get the hypocrisy angle, but this is still a pretty pissant little story.

Let's go back to Trump's pathetic weakness towards Russia, his Putin-licking history, and his shitting on smaller countries' freedom.

@5 If they believe he is mentally ill, why are they trying their best to get him elected to the most powerful office in the land, not caring how much damage and devastation he can inflict on the whole world? Because money?

These people's hands are hardly clean. At the very least they're enablers who don't give a damn for our country.

@8 that was my question too. Because, you know, when grandpa goes nuts my first thought isn't "hey grandad, I know you think the moon landings were faked, but, hey, why don't you run for the senate! I'll manage your campaign! It will be excellent therapy!"

A more likely theory is his family are every bit as venal, ignorant, and delusional as Trump himself.

@5: That's the second time this week you've given me a good laugh. Thanks.

We need to ban all immigration from Slovenia until we can figure this all out.

The misogynist attacks from the left on Melania Trump for daring to be married to Donald Trump are really disappointing.

And just to get out in front of inane arguments, no, just because the right does it does not make it ok. It is shitty when anyone does so. The left is supposed to be better, remember?

@13: I guess we can add sarcasm to the huge pile of things you don't understand.

To those here who would assert the "candidates' families are off limits" rule (which is so often broken) they should strain themselves to realize this item has functionally nothing to do about Melania herself. Trump went off early and often on "illegal immigrants" and then it turns out that he likely married one. That the wife du-jour was what Melania has agreed to be is only the stupidity of those who did the background checks for outstanding issues with the candidate, ("uh... we akually didn't do any of dose"). In zero political time Melania will survive just fine; hell, she'll probably get more 'coverage' for herself this way, (following the post-candidacy divorce). No INS agents will be visiting her, however much they should; the "wall" of lawyers will protect her nicely.

@12- What exactly is misogynistic about questioning her immigration status when her husband is so god damn anti-(illegal, supposedly)-immigrant. Smearing her for have posed naked is clearly misogynist, but I don't see any problem with the immigration question.

@17: Nothing is wrong with using it as a talking point against Trump, such as "How can you be so against immigrants when one was good enough to be your wife?"

What I am referring to, for example, can be seen in two different comments here. #1 and #3 are basically saying that she must be either a prostitute, or "for sale" in some way do to her behavior and past.

Both are misogynist, because they A) make an assumption that this woman must be selling her body to be where she is now, and B) remove any agency from her and render her an object for their own immature frustrations.

#4 is also problematic, as that statement asserts that she is somehow less as a person do to her taste in men. Once again, it suggests she is not really a person, but just a thing which only derives value from her husband/men.

It's pretty gross, if you ask me. Especially coming from people who claim to be liberals, and go apoplectic when misogynist attacks are leveled at Michelle Obama, for instance.

@18- I agree, basically.

I do think choosing to be in a relationship with Donald Trump is evidence of poor judgment though. I don't think that's sexist. Or disputable.

@18: Word.

There are so many reasons to dislike Trump on his own merits that I don't get all the Melania bashing.

If anyone should be bashed--it's the RNC, which claims that (a) every child deserves a married mom and dad, (b) extra-marital sex is wrong, (c) homosexual activity is wrong, (d), porn is wrong, (d) illegal immigration is wrong, and yet they choose as their standard bearer a twice-divorced, thrice married serial philanderer who has yet to live with a wife until their kids are grown, and who is currently married to a woman with a shady immigration past who has posed for lesbian erotica.

Let's put the blame where it really belongs--on the hypocrisy of the RNC.