Tim Miller mocks Melania Trump’s bizarre open letter to Vladimir Putin, released on official First Lady letterhead. Written in lofty, almost AI-like prose, the letter appeals to Putin’s conscience to “restore children’s melodic laughter” without ever mentioning Ukraine. Miller highlights how absurd the plea is, since Putin himself is directly responsible for the suffering of Ukrainian children through invasion, bombing, and abductions.
He argues the letter reflects both naivety and hypocrisy—its universalist message about children contradicts MAGA’s own blood-and-soil nationalism, and it makes no sense to appeal to Putin’s empathy when his worldview is rooted in geography and conquest. Miller compares it to a “Dear Grinch” plea, unserious and cringe-worthy, and says conservatives would have savaged Jill Biden or Michelle Obama if they had written something similar.
Ultimately, he views the letter as a political tell: a sign of desperation from Trump’s camp, projecting weakness in negotiations with Putin while Trump still hopes to be seen as a peacemaker.
Bottom line: Melania’s “Dear Putin” letter isn’t just cringe—it underscores Trump’s weakness, Putin’s dominance, and the hollowness of MAGA foreign policy.
