Melania Trump is in a tight spot as her husband, Donald Trump, is spending significant time in the New York criminal courtroom. The former president is in the middle of his “hush money” trial while simultaneously juggling his presidential campaign.
Although Melania is said to support her husband’s goal of winning a second presidential term, she has not been seen by his side. Neither has the former first lady been seen in the courtroom to support her husband, and according to an expert, this has a significant meaning.
As her son Barron has graduated from high school, Melania Trump has plenty of time on her hands. On Thursday, she updated her Instagram account with a repost of USA Memoribilia’s Fortitude Collection, featuring a pair of necklaces. However, it didn’t take long before social media users went berserk, accusing her of ‘profiting’ from deceased veterans.
In 2018, the Trump Administration was left in shock as allegations against Donald Trump and the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels went public. The president said he was innocent, but that didn’t stop Melania Trump from making her mind up.
While Donald Trump and Melania Trump handled their duties in Washington, the president’s past also caught up with him. And according to a new book, Melania wanted to take full advantage of it by humiliating her husband.
Donald Trump – “hush money” trial
In January 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump had arranged a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels – whose real name is Stephanie Clifford – in October 2016 to prevent her from discussing a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006.
Of course, it was a big scandal. However, Trump consistently denied having an affair with Daniels. Meanwhile, in February 2018, Michael Cohen, a former private lawyer for Donald Trump, said he had indeed paid Daniels but used his own money and, therefore, Trump’s company or campaign money had nothing to do with it.
Cohen later contradicted both statements under oath. Moreover, he stated that Donald Trump directed him to make the payment.
When the allegations against Donald Trump and the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels went public in 2018, it’s safe to say that Melania wasn’t happy about them.
In her book American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden, New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers writes that Melania refused to join her husband on a trip abroad and instead traveled to Mar-a-Lago without him.
“[FLOTUS press secretary Stephanie] Grisham, who traveled with her on that jaunt, said that the first lady had wanted to communicate her anger to the president,” Rogers writes, as reported by People Magazine.
Further, Grisham told Rogers that Melania “was pissed at Trump and wanted him to be a little humiliated that she took off.”
Melania Trump missing from Donald’s trial
While Donald Trump continues his presidential campaign, he spends much time in court. A few weeks ago, Stormy Daniels took the stand, talking about her life, career, and, of course, encounters with Donald Trump.
As Daniels recalled the night she and Donald Trump were said to have had together, she revealed that the presidential candidate told her, “We don’t sleep in the same room,” meaning Donald and Melania.
Melania Trump has been through plenty in recent years. Her husband has been involved in many trials and still is, but the former first lady hasn’t been at his side in the courtroom. The Daily Mail has spoken to several legal experts who say it’s usually beneficial for the defendant if their spouse is by their side in the courthouse.
However, in this case, it doesn’t matter at all.
“Generally speaking, jurors pay attention to who is seated in the courtroom,” Anna Cominsky, Managing Attorney of New York Law School Legal Services, told the Daily Mail.
“Defense attorneys usually like to have ‘support’ for their client evidenced by friends and family – it’s something that humanizes the client. That said, this is a very different case. The jurors know that this is the former president.”
Berkeley Law professor John Yoo even suggested that Melania Trump’s absence could actually be beneficial.
“I could see how some jurors would ask where Melania Trump was. Perhaps her presence would show her support for Trump’s story that his fling with Stormy never happened,” he explained.
“But her presence would also buy into the prosecution’s underhanded effort to make the trial about Stormy [Daniels], and not about whether any bookkeeping misdemeanors occurred and whether they concealed some greater crime.”
Melania spotted at son Barron’s high school graduation
While Melania Trump is keeping her distance from her husband’s trial, another big event has been on her mind in later months. Her son, Barron Trump, who turned 18 a few months ago, graduated from Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach last week, and of course, Melania and Donald were in attendance.
A video from the Oxbridge Academy graduation shows Barron Trump walking on stage. He then accepts the diploma with a handshake, walks down a ramp, and poses for another photo with what appear to be school officials.
However, even though it was a huge day, the former president’s son appeared not to be smiling. It’s common to see newly graduated students smile, throw their caps, or express joy in other ways on the big day. But his quiet approach gave the impression that he is just like Melania—reticent and not smiling in public.
Barron Trump’s time at Oxbridge has come to an end. As a member of the Trump family, he will undoubtedly begin studying at college, which means he will move away from home.
The result? Melania will have a lot of time on her hands, and who knows what projects she has planned for the future. Still, today, it’s evident that she and her husband are aiming to move to Washington, D.C., for four more years.
Melania Trump has been absent not only in the courtroom but also at rallies. While Donald Trump is in the middle of his presidential campaign, his wife has not been seen at his side.
Melania Trump will “definitely have a role” in Donald’s campaign, source says
In March, she was asked if she would be joining Donald on the campaign trail, to which she responded, “Stay tuned.”
Sources told CNN at the end of March that although Melania Trump isn’t spotted together with her husband at rallies across the country, she will play an important part moving forward. How? That’s still unknown.
“She’ll definitely have a role, but in terms of what that is, I don’t know,” a source close to the Trump campaign told CNN. “It is her decision on how much or how little she will be campaigning.”
“She is very selective and methodical in what she wants to do and how she presents herself,” another source close to the former president said. “She is very decisive with these things and knows they have a lot of intended and unintended consequences.”
As mentioned, Melania Trump was furious with Donald Trump when the allegations about the “hush money” became known in 2018. The fact that she hasn’t been at her husband’s side in the New York courtroom has some interpreted her as not supporting her husband.
But according to US political commentators Steve Edginton and John Fund, it’s the opposite.
“One of the aspects that has perhaps been forgotten throughout [the Trump trial] is Melania and how she has reacted to this whole ordeal. Is she offering him emotional support? Where does she stand in this whole area?” Edginton told GB News.
Melania Trump accused of ‘profiting off dead veterans’ in Instagram post
Political commentator John Fund replied, “Well, Melania hates politics, and I think after two campaigns, half of a third [campaign], and four years in the White House she’s probably justified in not having a very favourable opinion of Washington DC and now, of course, the American judicial system.”
“So she’s a supportive spouse, but I think the last thing she wants is to stir up more media coverage by attending the trial or by engaging in some blatantly public show of support,” he added.
Melania Trump, a former model, has a strong interest in fashion. She has previously released her jewelry collection, and on Thursday last week, she promoted USA Memoribilia’s Fortitude Collection, featuring a pair of necklaces. The former first lady has also previously sold Christmas ornaments through the website.
“The Fortitude Collection celebrates our service members, our Nation, and our freedom,” the USA Memorabilia’s website states. Further, the website reads that each design “can be engraved with names, initials, significant dates, and symbols to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.”
“Those who purchase a design can also receive a limited-edition digital collectible,” USA Memorabilia writes.
