Melania Trump on Tuesday slammed back at ‘assumptions’ about her stance on personal and political matters but her statement failed to mention husband Donald Trump by name and whether or not she intends to support him during his indictment and other legal investigations.
In a short statement posted to Twitter, the office of the Melania Trump noted: ‘News organizations have made assumptions about the former First Lady’s stance on subjects that are personal, professional, and political over the past few weeks. In these articles, unnamed sources are cited to bolster the author’s claims.’
‘We ask readers to exercise caution and good judgment when determining whether or not stories concerning the former First Lady are accurate, particularly when they fail to cite Mrs. Trump as a source of information.’
But notably absent was any mention of her husband and the legal fight he’s facing in New York over a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump when he was married to Melania.
Various reports have said the former first lady is standing by her husband, who has denied the affair; is angry; is keeping busy, is raising their son Barron and intends to campaign with him.
But Melania Trump herself hasn’t spoken until now.
And her statement – her first since Donald Trump’s indictment – still leaves many questions about her level of support for her husband.
She didn’t join him in New York when he was formally arrested and indicted on more than 30 felony charges. And she was notably absent when the former president gave a speech at Mar-a-Lago repudiating the charges against him.
But she did join Donald Trump for Easter brunch at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, sitting at her husband’s side to mark the holiday occasion.
She and the former president walked into Mar-a-Lago’s ornate ballroom to a standing ovation from the crowd, videos posted online showed. The couple sat alone together with red velvet ropes blocking off their large table from the rest of holiday goers.
Melania was seen chatting with Donald Trump, leaning in close to talk with him as they ate. Easter brunch is at Mar-a-Lago is a tradition for the couple. Even during Trump’s presidency they would spend the holiday together at the ‘Southern White House.’
Social media users posted pics of the couple in the ballroom together. Mar-a-Lago puts on a lavish Easter brunch for its members with a massive buffet that includes oysters, shrimp and champagne. There’s also an Easter Egg hunt on the club’s grounds for the kids with figures dressed up as the Easter Bunny and other children’s characters.
It was the first time Melania was seen at Donald Trump’s side since her notable absent at his speech on Tuesday at their Palm Beach home. In his remarks, he railed against the indictment he faces on charges of falsifying business records in relation to hush money payments he allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former doorman.
Melania Trump issued her first statement since Donald Trump’s indictment – above the former first lady at the White House in November 2020
Melania Trump joined Donald Trump for Easter brunch at Mar-a-Lago
Former President Donald Trump and Melania received a standing ovation when they came into the ballroom
Melania had not been seen in public since March 30 – the evening it was announced Trump was going to be indicted by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg
The former first lady earlier broken her radio silence online by tweeting a simple ‘Happy Easter!’ message.
For the Easter holiday, she wore a white dress with what appeared to be a flower pattern on its shoulders and down its center. The former president sported a pink tie with his dark suit.
Their table had pink and orange tulips on it. Mar-a-Lago was decorated for the holiday with paper mache bunnies and pink roses.
Donald Trump appeared to have worked the ballroom. Several users on social media posted selfies with the former president.
But the sighing of Melania, 52, was remarkable after she was careful to stay away during the most public parts of Donald Trump’s indictment.
She did not join him in New York last week when he turned himself over to authorities and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges.
Nor was she at his rally at Mar-a-Lago in the aftermath when the former president gave a speech that included a special shoutout to all of his children — but made no mention of his wife.
Her father Viktor Knavs was present for speech, sandwiched between the former president’s two eldest sons, while the former first lady was mysteriously absent. It He was in a prominent position in the front row that put him directly in the eye of the cameras.
Instead she’s been captured by users of social media, who post and tag when they see the Trumps at Mar-a-Lago, which doubles as a private club in addition to the couple’s Florida residence.
On the night the indictment was announced, Melania was by Donald Trump’s side in a very public show of strength that was captured by social media users.
The couple dined together with friends at their usual, highly-visible table, at Mar-a-Lago.
The former first lady wore a bright red dress, making her easy to spot by his side.
Melania and Donald Trump ate Easter brunch alone together at their table
Viktor Knavs – Melania Trump’s father – stands between Eric and Lara Trump and Don Jr and his fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle; Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos are seen to the right – but Melania Trump was missing from Donald Trump’s April 4th speech at Mar-a-Lago
It remains unclear why she skipped his speech, but sources previously told DailyMail.com she is hurt and angry about the allegations that Trump had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
The former first lady faces up to a year and a half of having her dirty laundry aired out in public as the New York criminal case drags on.
Those who know her well now say that she is choosing to stay out of the spotlight to protect herself from the news of her husband’s infidelity.
Before the indictment was announced last week, a source told PEOPLE that Melania ‘is leading her own life’ and ‘still feels happy’ at Mar-a-Lago, but ‘remains angry and doesn’t want to hear’ about the alleged $130,000 in hush money to Daniels.
Lauren Wright, a political scientist at Princeton University, also told DailyMail.com she is ‘not surprised Melania was nowhere to be found at her husband’s post-indictment speech.
‘Throughout Trump’s presidency, when the Stormy Daniels issue came up, Melania would assert her independence in one way or another, either avoiding the topic or, most famously, contradicting those who claimed to know her feelings about the alleged extramarital dalliance,’ she noted.
And Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former aide and friend, said she believes that Melania’s recent silence and disappearance from the scene is deliberate.
‘It’s her weapon of choice and her protective armor,’ she says.
In contrast, Donald Trump has been out and about. He was greeted with huge cheers in Miami Saturday night as he took his seat in the front row of UFC 287 alongside organization president Dana White.
He joined other celebrities including Kid Rock and Mike Tyson to watch not only the main event between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, but also the battle between MAGA supporter Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns. Melania Trump was not present for that event.
The Mar-a-Lago resort hosted an Easter brunch with activities for kids
Some of the holiday decorations at Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels – the New York case is tied to $130,000 hush money payments made to Daniels
Melania had previously gone missing in action in January 2018, days after Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels was outed by the Wall Street Journal.
Daniels was paid just before the 2016 election to keep quiet about an affair that she said she had had a decade earlier with Donald Trump — when the Trumps were newlyweds and soon after Melania had given birth to their son, the report said.
Then-President Trump promptly denied everything.
At the time, Melania Trump, then the first lady, canceled her plans to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos with Trump. She had been scheduled to go.
Instead she visited Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. with her mother and then flew to Mar-a-Lago, taking time to enjoy herself in the on-site spa.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk