Melania Trump channels Hillary Clinton in white at SOTU

Melania Trump did not utter a word to the crowd gathered at the Capitol to hear her husband’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night – however her appearance seemed to speak volumes.

The 47-year-old first lady arrived at the event to a standing ovation, making quite the powerful entrance in an all-white Dior pantsuit, worn over a chic silk Dolce & Gabbana shirt.

And while she certainly looked glamorous, pairing the outfit with some Christian Louboutin heels, both Melania’s choice of color and her overall look were incredibly telling; white was the color favored by the suffragettes, and Donald’s Democratic rival Hillary famously wore all-white pantsuits on a number of occasions while she was fighting against him in the 2016 presidential race.

Making a statement: Melania Trump’s all-white pantsuit at the State of the Union spoke volumesm and helped her to send a powerful message

Fashion-focused: The 47-year-old wore a custom made Dior suit over a Dolce & Gabbana silk suit, and paired the look with Christian Louboutin heels

Speaking out: White is a color traditionally favored by the suffragettes, and Hillary Clinton famously wore all-white pantsuits during her presidential campaign

Tension: Melania has not been seen by the president’s side since January 15; she is reportedly ‘furious’ over reports that his lawyer paid a porn star to keep quiet over an alleged affair

Style inspiration? Presidential candidate and former first lady Hillary wore a white suit when she accepted the democratic nomination (left) and to Donald Trump’s inauguration (right)

Viral fame: The multi-buttoned suit that Hillary wore to the third and final presidential debate caused quite the stir on social media, with thousands of users praising the look in online posts

Putting her own very glamorous spin on the look, Melania’s suit featured cropped straight-leg pants with a crisp pleat down the center of each leg. Her perfectly-tailored single-button jacket featured a satin collar and pockets on either hip.

She kept her accessories to a minimum, wearing a pair of simple nude Louboutin pumps, and – rather tellingly – her large diamond engagement ring.

Melania’s hair appeared to have been cut into a slightly shorter style, which she wore sleek and straight, with several layers helping to add volume to the look. She then finished off the look with some glamorous make-up, opting for plenty of bronzer, a pale pink lip, and a subtle smokey eye.

In her latest break from President Trump, first lady Melania Trump held a separate reception for the couple’s State of the Union guests, and even traveled to Capitol Hill in a different motorcade.

She arrived in the House chamber to a standing ovation and wowed in a cream suit, a color traditionally worn by suffragettes, and often sported by Hillary Clinton when she was trying to become the country’s first female president in 2016.

‘Mrs. Trump is honoring her guests for the true heroes they are. In addition to holding a White House reception and photo opportunity for them and their friends and family, she is accompanying them to the Capitol,’ explained the first lady’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham to CNN.

Grisham said once FLOTUS arrived at the Capitol, she and Karen Pence, the vice president’s wife, would hold a ‘more intimate meet-and-greet to engage with them on a personal level prior to the speech,’ Grisham told the network.

All smiles: The mother-of-one beamed for the cameras as she entered the Capitol Building to a standing ovation from her fellow attendees

Standing out: Melania certainly made sure that she didn’t blend into the background; her white suit was clearly visible among the mass of darker suits and dresses

Getting on famously: She looked to be enjoying a fun conversation with her guest Officer Ryan Holets, a police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico who has been shot twice in the line of duty

Sending a message: During the opening lines of his speech, President Trump addressed the first lady directly as she clapped with a rather solemn face

By her side: Melania was also joined in her row by 12-year-old Preston Sharp (center), who has been placing American flags and flowers on veterans’ graves since 2015

Keeping calm: Despite her outwardly happy appearance, Melania is said to be incredibly angry at the revelations about her husband’s alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels

Tonight will mark the first lady’s first public appearance alongside her husband since January 15, when she returned to the White House with the president and 11-year-old Barron from Mar-a-Lago.

But with the first lady in the audience and the president at the dais, the first couple may not even have to interact. Though CNN also reported they’re expected to ride back to the White House together.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that the first lady was ‘blindsided’ by the Wall Street Journal’s January 12 report that said President Trump’s lawyer had paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, who had alleged an affair.

Breaking with tradition: Melania took a separate ride to the Capitol, as the president was about to deliver his State of the Union address

Shock: Melania was reportedly ‘blindsided’ by the Wall Street Journal report that came out on January 12 and said a lawyer for Trump paid off a porn star to keep quiet about an alleged affair

Escaping? After the news came out, Melania flew to Mar-a-Lago for spa treatments, which cost taxpayers nearly $70,000, the New York Times found

Controversy: Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, divulged details about her alleged relationship with Trump during a 2011 interview with In Touch Weekly

Way back when: Melania’s all-white suit at this year’s State of the Union was a far cry from the black sparkly number she wore last year

First lady Melania Trump indicated that she would indeed be at Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, tweeting about some of the guests she and President Trump invited to sit in the first lady’s box

Since then, Melania Trump has been ‘furious,’ ditching planned travel with her husband and flying to Florida for a night by herself, at a cost of nearly $70,000 to taxpayers, the Times reported.

At Monday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told DailyMail.com that Melania Trump was slated to go to tonight’s State of the Union speech.

‘In terms of family all of the presidents children, along with the first lady, will be at the State of the Union, with the exclusion of Barron, I don’t believe he will be attending as of right now,’ the White House press secretary said.

Stephanie Grisham, the spokeswoman for the first lady, gave the Times a more tenuous response saying, ‘That is her plan,’ she said.

The first lady confirmed her attendance with a tweet Tuesday afternoon, discussing the guests she and President Trump were bringing to Capitol Hill.

Guests of the president and first lady at the State of the Union

FROM LEFT:

Corey Adams – Works as a skilled welder at Staub Manufacturing Solutions in Dayton, Ohio, and became a first-time homeowner in 2007. The White House said Adams and his wife benefited from the Trump tax cuts, in which their savings will go toward their two daughters’ education savings.

Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger – Siblings who started Staub Manufacturing Solutions in Dayton, Ohio, twenty years ago. On Monday the White House attributed the ‘Trump bump’ with the Staubs’ decision to hire 14 new employees in the past year and start the work to acquire a new building. They also used the Trump tax cut funds to give their employees Christmas bonuses, the White House said.

Ashlee Leppert – An aviation electronics technician in the U.S. Coast Guard, Leppert was instrumental during last year’s hurricane season. Her most dramatic rescue involved lifting a woman to safety in a helicopter basket. Leppert thought the woman was clutching bags of clothes in her arms, when in reality, the victim was trying to transport four children to safety.

Corporal Matthew Bradford – Bradford was the first blind, double amputee to reenlist in the Marine Corps after stepping on an IED while deployed in Iraq in 2007. Bradford joined the Marines straight out of high school and first traveled to Iraq in 2006.

Jon Bridgers – Bridgers is the founder of the Cajun Navy, a non-profit, volunteer rescue and recovery organization that he created in 2016 to respond to flooding in Southern Louisiana. In 2017, the Cajun Navy became an instrumental part in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey flooded swaths of nearby Texas. The group continues to collect donations for storm victims.

Preston Sharp – 12-year-old Sharp has been placing American flags and flowers on veterans’ graves since 2015, after visiting his grandfather’s gravesite and noticing that other veterans were not being properly honored. Sharp has organized the placement of over 40,000 American flags and red carnations to be put on soldiers’ graves as part of his Flag and Flower challenge. He’s now helped honor veterans in all 50 states.

Evelyn Rodriguez – is the mother of Kayla Cuevas, who was brutally murdered in September 2016 by an MS-13 gang member.

Freddy Cuevas – is the father of Kayla Cuevas, who was murdered by an MS-13 gang member on Long Island.

Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens – Alvarado and Mickens’ daughter Nisa Mickens was murdered by an MS-13 gang member, alongside her friend Kayla Cuevas on September 13. The two girls’ deaths were among 17 Long Island slayings at the hand of the vicious gang.

Officer Ryan Holets – Holets is a police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been shot twice in the line of duty. He became national news, however, when he and his wife adopted a newborn baby, whose mother was addicted to opioids.

Agent Celestino ‘CJ’ Martinez – Martinez works as a supervisory special agent for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit. As part of his job, he’s worked to dismantle the MS-13 gang, arresting more than 100 members. Martinez is also a veteran, having served in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard for more than 22 years.

David Dahlberg – Dahlberg works as a fire prevention technician in southern California and during his time working at the Pine Canyon Fire Station in the Santa Lucia Ranger District he helped save 62 children and staff members from a wildfire that had encircled their camp in 2017.

NOT PICTURED:

Staff Sergeant Justin Peck – Peck has served in the United States Army for eight years. While clearing IEDS in Syria, his colleague Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy was struck. Peck’s swift actions, including applying a tourniquet, placing an endotracheal tube, and performing artificial respirations and CPR were responsible for saving Stacy’s life.

‘I will be joined tonight by an honorable group of Americans,’ Melania Trump wrote. ‘Sitting with me are heroes who have served our nation in times of need, families who have suffered at the hands of evil, and citizens who have embraced the American dream.’

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also went on the record, explaining why the first lady wasn’t at the president’s side when he left the White House Tuesday night.

The first lady arrived separately, Huckabee Sanders told CNN, for ‘no reason other than she can greet the guests and he can go straight in.’

Last week, the first lady set a precedent for abruptly changing her schedule, announcing Monday that she would no longer fly to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum with President Trump.

Grisham said because of ‘too many scheduling and logistical issues’ Melania Trump would not be going.

Instead, during Trump’s first day at the conference, his wife made two back-to-back unannounced trips, first to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and then to Mar-a-Lago.

First lady Melania Trump visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Thursday, in advance of Saturday’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Before tweeting photos of the tour, the first lady hadn’t been photographed in 10 days, during which time a 2011 interview with porn star Stormy Daniels was published by In Touch Weekly detailing her alleged affair with Donald Trump

The White House didn’t invite reporters to the event, only telling the press about the first lady’s trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Thursday with a tweet. Later, the first lady tweeted three photographs of the excursion

The White House did not invite reporters to cover the first lady’s Holocaust museum tour, nor was the press given any heads up about her travel plans to Florida, which cost taxpayers $64,600, the Times said, citing Department of Defense figures.

The first lady returned to Washington Friday evening, the same day the president returned from Davos.

On Friday, DailyMail.com also reported that the first lady had spent several nights at a posh D.C. hotel since the Daniels’ story broke, part of the swirl of stories about the Trumps’ marriage that the first lady’s spokeswoman smacked down calling them ‘salacious’ and ‘flat-out false.’

But the Times reporting, which came out Tuesday, is in line with DailyMail.com’s report, as Melania Trump has kept a lower profile in recent week than she did for most of last year.

The Journal reported on January 12 that Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to keep Daniels quiet in the weeks just before the 2016 election.

Cohen has denied Trump had a sexual relationship with Daniels, but has not denied making the payment.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, divulged details about her alleged relationship with Trump during a 2011 interview with In Touch Weekly, which never ran until January 17 of this year.

The adult film actress said she and the billionaire businessman first hooked up in 2006, at a Nevada hotel outside of Lake Tahoe, and continued to see each other through 2007.

In this undated photo, porn star Stormy Daniels (right) is photographed alongside the current president, Donald Trump (left)

The interview was reportedly conducted along with a lie-detector test.

Before the release of the In Touch Weekly Q&A, several other sources corroborated the details of the story.

Porn star Alana Evans appeared on Megyn Kelly’s portion of the Today show on January 16 and talked about how Daniels called her from Trump’s hotel room, wanting her to come along.

The same day, Slate’s Jacob Weisberg wrote a piece detailing how he had been in touch with Daniels between August and October of 2016.

She detailed her affair with Trump to him, though wanted to be paid for the story, which is something Weisberg’s publication does not do.

She also revealed that, through an intermediary, Trump had offered her money to stay silent.

A pal of Daniels’ later told the Slate writer, after Daniels stopped answering his messages, that she had taken the sum.

Melania Trump and the now-president were married on January 22, 2005, a year and a half before Daniels’ and the president’s first alleged sexual encounter.

Barron Trump was born in March 2006, four months before the now president and Daniels’ first alleged encounter, at a golf outing in July of that year.

And despite marking their 13th wedding anniversary last Monday, neither Trump mentioned the occasion, nor were they seen out together publicly.

The president was, however, dealing with the government shutdown.

The first lady has been relatively quiet on social media too.

On January 20, marking the one-year anniversary of her husband’s inauguration day, the first lady tweeted a photo of herself – sans Trump – being accompanied to the swearing-in ceremony by a military escort.

‘This has been a year filled with many wonderful moments. I’ve enjoyed the people I’ve been lucky enough to meet throughout our great country & the world!’ she wrote.

She tweeted again Thursday, once her tour through the Holocaust museum was done.

‘Thank you @HolocaustMuseum for a powerful & moving tour that honors the millions of innocent lives lost, and educates us on the tragedies and effects of the holocaust,’ the first lady said.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk