Melania Trump finally has her own TV – but she deserves a lot more

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Ever since Tracey Ullman delivered her brutal assessment of Melania Trump with the Melaniabot sketch, I have been looking for signs of human life behind the perfectly manicured and coiffured First Lady’s implacable exterior.

Recently, Brigitte Macron gave an interview to Le Monde and hinted at the effects of living in a goldfish bowl, saying of Melania that “she can’t do anything, she can’t even open a window in the White House”.

Melania isn’t the first Flotus to feel hemmed-in – even Michelle Obama complained about her lack of privacy. But now even the First Lady’s off-duty television viewing has come under apparent scrutiny, after The New York Times reported that the president caught his wife watching CNN (instead of his favourite channel Fox News) on Air Force One and went into a rage.

In future, according to follow-up reports, Melania will have her own television in her own hotel rooms when they travel, so she can watch whatever she wants.

A couple of days after the story, a reporter from CNN was mysteriously banned from a press event at the White House – was it petty revenge by the Donald?

The Trumps’ is not a conventional marriage, with separate bedrooms and rare physical contact in public. Plus, every day Melania has to listen to more allegations about Donald’s alleged payments to pornstars.

I’m glad she’s got her own television – but surprised she wants to watch a news channel at all. I would have thought something soporific like reruns of Downton Abbey would be more relaxing, after a day walking one step behind the president.