Donald Trump knew Melania Trump<\/a> supported abortion rights \u201csince the day [they] met\u201d, the former US first lady said on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I believe in individual freedom. I want to decide what I want to do with my body. I think I don\u2019t want government in my personal business,\u201d Melania Trump added in an interview with Fox News<\/a>, during which she elaborated on a political position that left her at odds with the Republican party led by her husband.<\/p>\n The Guardian was first to report on Wednesday how Melania Trump\u2019s eagerly anticipated memoir contained a passionate defense of women\u2019s rights<\/a> to control their own bodies \u2013 including with respect to abortion access.<\/p>\n The book, Melania, is scheduled for release on Tuesday, less than a month before Donald Trump<\/a> seeks a second presidency in the 5 November election. She reacted to Wednesday\u2019s reporting in the Guardian with a social media statement on Thursday that declared<\/a>: \u201cIndividual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard.\u201d<\/p>\n Melania Trump defended the decision to reveal her abortion-related views so close to her husband\u2019s electoral showdown with Kamala Harris, the vice-president and Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n Public polling has long held that most Americans favor access to abortion<\/a>, and Democrats have translated that support into political victories during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency. But many Republican-led state legislatures have sought to restrict access to abortion, mainly citing conservative religious beliefs, since the US supreme court eliminated federal-level abortion rights<\/a> in June 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that was not written in the last week or the last month,\u201d Melania Trump said. \u201cThat book was written months before, and it was in print months before.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that was my belief, and it is my belief, and I wanted to put it in the book because I want to be authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n