First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump put on an overt display of unity and companionship as they headed to Ohio for a day trip amid chatter about the status of their marriage.
When both leaving and returning to the White House, the president played the role of gentleman, affectionately escorting his Mrs. to and from Marine One.
Late Monday morning the first lady quietly walked from the White House residence to the Oval Office shortly before the president’s flight was to depart from the South Lawn.
Then, a few minutes later, the First Couple emerged jointly to walk toward Marine One for the short flight to Joint Base Andrews.
Melania sported an attention-grabbing canary yellow full length overcoat as the pair paraded by a bank of reporters and photographers – who have been closely watching the state of the First Family’s marriage since a bombshell report that Trump lawyer Michael Cohen had paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed in earlier interviews she had an affair with Trump.
The president and first lady are photographed returning to the White House after a day trip in Ohio amid rumors that they’re having relationship issues
President Trump (left) played the role of gentleman as he escorted first lady Melania Trump (right) to and from their helicopter, Marine One
The president (left) didn’t take questions from reporters as he returned to the White House Monday night, though he did affectionately walk Melania Trump (right) into the building
President Trump (left) and first lady Melania Trump (right) walk through the South Lawn upon their return to the White House from Ohio
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk to Marine One upon prior to departure from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, February 5
The first lady smiled as the president guided her away from the Oval Office.
As the pair walked toward the presidential helicopter, Trump put his arm around Melania and gently escorted her there. She then boarded ahead of him and he turned and waived to the cameras.
The president didn’t take any of the questions shouted his way, instead opting to smile for the cameras and keep a distance from questioners.
He made a similar display when he disembarked from Marine One after the afternoon trip.
As the president and first lady strolled through the South Lawn, Trump waved several times to the group of reporters waiting for him, but answered no questions about the stock market drop.
He then placed his hand on Melania Trump’s back and guided her into the White House.
The Trumps had returned to Washington together on Sunday evening with their son Barron in tow after a weekend in Palm Beach. They’re flying to Cincinnati together this afternoon, although they have separate schedules in Buckeye State.
Mrs. Trump has rarely been seen with her husband since allegations surfaced that he had an extramarital affair early on in their marriage with a porn star who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels.
RIGHT THIS WAY: Trump escorted his wife to Marine One
First Lady Melania Trump will accompany her husband to Ohio today in public display of unity intended to quiet chatter about the status of their marriage
First lady Melania Trump tweeted details about her Ohio trip today, explaining that she’ll be focused on the effects opioids are having on children’s lives and what medical professionals are doing to solve those problems
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., before their departure to Cincinnati, February 5, 2018
The pair stopped and smiled for cameras who were there for the departure
The couple took the trip amid new focus on their message following a TV appearance by Stormy Daniels
President Donald Trump (R) and first Lady Melania Trump embark on Air Force 1 on their way to Cincinnati, Ohio, at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington DC on February 05, 2018
The pair departed for Ohio on a windy day at the White House
First lady Melania Trump (right) is traveling to Cincinnati with her husband President Trump (left) today. Once they arrive in Ohio, she’ll split off and do a hospital tour
First Lady Melania Trump (right) has appeared infrequently in public with her husband President Trump (left) since the Wall Street Journal broke a story that said Trump’s lawyer paid off a porn star to keep quiet about an affair
Last night, the president and first lady were seen together at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, for the venue’s annual Super Bowl party
Today, she’s traveling with him to Ohio with plans to split off from him at the Cincinnati airport.
She’ll visit a children’s hospital while he tours a hydraulic cylinder manufacturer and delivers remarks on the GOP’s tax slash.
‘Very much looking forward to visit @CincyChildrens today & learn more about their efforts in combating the effects opioids are having on our children & how we can continue to work towards ending the #OpioidEpidemic,’ Melania Trump tweeted Monday.
Melania Trump has visited childrens’ hospitals on two other occasions as first lady – one in Washington, D.C. just before the Christmas holiday and another in Paris, France, during a trip with her husband to France for Bastille Day.
She’s also been engaged in curtailing the opioid crisis, hosting a roundtable at the White House on the epidemic in late September and then traveling to a West Virginia treatment center the next month.
The first lady backed out of her husband’s trip to Davos at the last minute last month and turned heads when she took an unscheduled trip to Palm Beach, costing taxpayers an estimated $70,000.
Her office had told reporters that she couldn’t be in Switzerland because of scheduling and logistics.
Several days later, Melania Trump broke with tradition and went to the U.S. Capitol ahead of her husband when he delivered a closely-scrutinized joint address to Congress, his first State of the Union.
The Trumps rode back to the White House together after the speech, making their first public appearance together since January 15, when they were photographed together making a return trip to D.C. from Mar-a-Lago.
Over the weekend the couple attended a Super Bowl party together at the president’s private golf club.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the Daniels story on January 12, writing that Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, had doled out a $130,000 to keep Daniels quiet in the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential 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.
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.
The New York Times wrote Tuesday that the first lady was ‘blindsided’ by the initial Wall Street Journal story and ‘furious’ with her husband.
With today’s trip to Ohio she will have appeared with him three times publicly since.