(Moscow) – A recent segment aired by Russian state television has sparked outrage in the United States after featuring nude photos of Melania Trump as part of a tribute to her husband’s 2024 election victory. The controversial broadcast on Russia-1’s popular program 60 Minutes included images from a 2000 GQ photo shoot that had previously resurfaced during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The segment, which was widely shared on social media, opens with anchor Yevgeny Popov discussing Melania Trump’s preparations to return to the White House following her husband’s election. As he speaks, a screen behind him shows a clip of Donald and Melania at one of his rallies. However, the footage quickly shifts to Melania’s nude GQ photos.
Popov describes the images in detail, stating, “Here’s how Melania looked like in the year 2000,” as the first of several nude images appears on screen. He describes the former first lady reclining on furs in a negligee, followed by images of her near a private airplane and on board Trump’s Boeing 727. As Popov continues, his co-anchor, Olga Skabeeva, is seen struggling to suppress laughter. The segment ends with more explicit photos of Melania set to the tune of Y.M.C.A. by the Village People, further intensifying the controversy.
The airing of these photos quickly drew criticism, especially on social media platforms such as X. Many American viewers expressed anger, calling the broadcast a deliberate attempt to humiliate Melania and undermine her husband’s victory. One user described it as “Russia laughing at us,” while others accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of flexing his power over Donald Trump and, by extension, the United States.
The nude photos of Melania Trump first attracted attention during the 2016 presidential race, when a Super PAC aired an ad using the images to target her husband’s candidacy. At that time, the campaign distanced itself from the ad, with rival candidate Ted Cruz’s camp denying any involvement. Melania has since defended her past modeling career, including the nude shoots, as a form of artistic self-expression. In a September video on social media, she stated, “Why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?”
Despite the controversy, Melania has maintained that her modeling work should be viewed as an art form, and that society should appreciate the human body as a symbol of beauty and self-expression. She also highlighted the historical tradition of celebrating the human form in art, referencing famous works by renowned artists throughout history.
Melania’s modeling career began when she was discovered at the age of 16 by a Slovenian photographer. Over the next few decades, she worked as a model in major cities like Paris, Milan, and New York before meeting Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week event in 1998. Despite initially refusing to give him her phone number, the two eventually began dating and married in January 2005.
