What is Melania Trump thinking?

Behind the feline eyes, the serrated cheekbones and campy glamour, there is a hint of pain to Melania Trump. She displays a vulnerability, a sense of betrayal and a frustration at being misunderstood. She has described herself as “the most bullied person in the world”. In interviews, especially those conducted in more recent years, you can detect something guarded and wounded in her.

Or maybe that’s just me. Despite her many years in the public eye as elite arm candy, including her four years as first lady, we still don’t really know who she is. In 2012, Melania tweeted a photo of a Beluga whale with the question, “what is she thinking?” Twelve years on, it is still difficult to ascertain. Years of relentless press scrutiny and a new memoir have supplied us only with hints. This impenetrability is part of what makes her such a perfect site for our projections. We see what we want to see.