Anderson Cooper momentarily struggled to string a sentence together as he processed a bizarre video of Melania Trump promoting her new book.
“Sorry, it’s the first time I’m seeing that. That’s the weirdest promo I’ve ever seen,” the CNN host said after the clip was shown on air.
“Like, the lighting—,” he continued, making an unintelligible noise. “I’m sorry, I’ve written four books, I’ve never seen a promo like that.”
Chuckling, Cooper stammered some more: “I’m sorry, this, wow.”
The promo in question shows an airbrushed, black-and-white rendering of the former first lady speaking about her support for abortion rights to a backing of instrumental music. She claims that “individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard” and concludes by saying, “What does ‘my body, my choice’ really mean?”
The video then shows a copy of her memoir, “Melania,” with a prompt to order it now. It’s due out on Oct. 8.
Earlier this week, The Guardian revealed that the former first lady had come out in support of abortion in her book.
Her view stands in contrast to that of her husband, Donald Trump, who has bragged about tearing down federal abortion protections.
The Republican nominee has been evasive about the issue during the 2024 campaign, apparently attempting to moderate his stance to appeal to a majority of Americans who support abortion rights. He claims to believe that abortion regulations should be left up to the states and has said he would veto a national abortion ban.
Some have speculated that Melania Trump’s decision to speak on the subject is a calculated ploy to appeal to moderate voters who support abortion.
After sharing Trump’s response to his wife’s pro-choice stance — in which the former president said he told his wife, “I’m not going to tell you what to do” — Cooper informed viewers, “I’ve recovered from my shock.”