In October 2019, Melania Trump sat in with then-President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretaries Mark Esper and Christopher Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley as they watched the raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Moments like this are documented in the memoir Soldier Secretary by Miller, who was the special assistant to the president for counterterrorism and transnational threats in 2019.
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In the book, Miller commented on Melania’s unexpected presence during the scene and that the group’s commentary and descriptions about the raid caused her to look up in horror. The raid came to an end when U.S. troops and their combat dog, Conan, cornered al-Baghdadi before he blew himself and two of his children up with an explosive vest.
According to Miller, when Trump asked how the success should be announced, Melania suggested he talk about the hero dog who was injured in the event, which he did several times.
