'Searched through my personal belongings': Trump's wife speaks out against FBI privacy threat to Americans

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Former first lady Melania Trump on Saturday accused the US government of violating her privacy in the FBI's 2022 raid on her home at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, claiming the incident was emblematic of broader threats to American freedoms.

In a new video promoting her forthcoming book, the former model highlighted the US Constitution’s prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures.

In a video on X, Trump said: "The FBI raided my home in Florida and searched through my personal belongings. This is not just my story – it serves as a warning to all Americans. A reminder that our freedom and rights must be respected."

The August 2022 FBI raid was in execution of a search warrant over former President Donald Trump allegedly taking White House files – including top secret information – with him when he left the White House and refusing to return them, in violation of the Presidential Records Act.

The FBI said it tried for months to negotiate the return of the files, which belong to the US government, not any official, and only launched the raid as a last resort.

In June 2023, the US filed 37 felony counts against Trump over the files, marking the first federal indictment of a former US president.

Melania Trump touted her forthcoming memoir as "a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity, and defined personal excellence."

During her husband’s four years as president, Trump kept a relatively low profile for a first lady, occasionally emerging to seemingly indirectly comment on controversies with the administration, and being seen in public rarely.