Melania Trump fires back at press after prolonged public absence
Former first lady Melania Trump’s office warned the public Tuesday not to believe speculation on her “personal, professional, and political” stances, two days after she appeared in public with former President Donald Trump for the first time since his arrest.
Melania, 52, accompanied her husband, 76, to Easter brunch at Mar-a-Lago Sunday, and broke her silence online one week after the 45th president was charged with 34 felony counts of business fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The charges are related to hush-money payments by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to keep adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal quiet about liaisons they claim to have had with the real estate mogul.
Melania did not accompany her husband to New York for his arraignment April 4, and the former president failed to mention her that night when he thanked other family members for their support during the ordeal.
Page Six reported Monday that Melania’s Easter reappearance came after Donald pleaded with his wife to be by his side as he seeks a return to the presidency.
A friend of the former first lady claimed last week that Melania was “angry” about her husband’s arrest and in denial about the couple’s “transactional” marriage.
Tuesday’s statement from the former first lady’s office did not call out any specific news organizations, but criticized articles where “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,” added the office, which did not mention the former president or his ongoing legal battles.
Trump is due back in court Dec. 4 after pleading not guilty to all the charges. The former president has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the payments, as well as having an affair with Daniels, whom he has repeatedly referred to as “Horseface.”
