Questions regarding Melania Trump's whereabouts have flooded social media, after the former first lady was not seen at court for the entirety of her husband Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial.
As the defense issued closing arguments at New York City's Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday, three of the former president's five children were present and seated in the front row: Donald Jr., Eric and Tiffany Trump. However, as with the rest of the weeks-long trial, Melania Trump was nowhere to be seen.
Former The Apprentice star Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to so-called hush money he arranged for his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels to keep the alleged affair she had with the former president a secret ahead of the 2016 election.
The money was listed in Donald Trump's company records as "legal fees," which prosecutors suggest was part of an unlawful attempt to influence the outcome of the 2016 race. Donald Trump admitted to reimbursing the $130,000 to Cohen, but has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, saying that the trial is part of a political witch hunt aimed at derailing his bid for another term in the White House.
As the trial rolled to its conclusion on Tuesday, video footage was shared of Donald Trump's family members standing outside the courthouse ahead of the day's proceedings. And while it was noted that he had three of his children on hand to join his team of supporters, questions were raised about Melania Trump.
Former NBC senior executive Mike Sington took to X, formerly Twitter, to share footage of Donald Trump being questioned as he entered the courthouse. As of press time, the video has garnered more than 400,000 views. Newsweek has contacted a representative of Donald Trump via email for comment.
Captioning the footage, Sington wrote: "As Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Don Jr stand behind Donald Trump at the courthouse today, reporter shouts the obvious question: 'Where's Melania?'"
As Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Don Jr stand behind Donald Trump at the courthouse today, reporter shouts the obvious question: "Where's Melania?" pic.twitter.com/znsESEXOGi
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 28, 2024
Ahead of closing arguments, One America News Network's Daniel Baldwin cited sources as informing him that "Don Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Tiffany Trump, Michael Boulos, Steve Witkoff, Will Scharf, and Deroy Murdock will be at court today with President Trump."
"But where's Melania?" an X user responded, echoing a flood of similarly worded messages that dominated the conversation on the micro-blogging platform.
Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and frequent critic of Donald Trump, also joined in on the action, writing: "Where's Melania?"
Where's Melania?
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 28, 2024
The former first lady's absence from the trial spared her from listening to adult entertainer Daniels' testimony, during which she shared details of her alleged sexual encounter with Donald Trump. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleged that the encounter took place in 2006, one year after Melania Trump married the then real estate mogul.
While she has been absent from the courtroom, Melania Trump has been photographed with her husband on occasion in recent months. The former model and her husband were on hand for their 18-year-old son Barron's high school graduation in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 17.
Over the past several months, Melania Trump has largely shied away from making public appearances, a move that prompted questions as her husband ramped up his efforts to secure the Republican presidential nomination.
Melania Trump's former friend and aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff told CNN earlier in May that she did not believe the Slovenia native would attend the trial.
"Melania is Melania's own person," said Winston Wolkoff, who has been highly critical of Melania Trump in the years since their relationship soured. "In regards, again, to a marriage that you want to consider to be something that most people are trying to still understand, don't. I do not see her supporting him this way."
"I think you can feel that humiliation without having to put yourself in front of the cameras," she added. "Everything Melania does is staged."
Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, has also been notably absent from the courthouse during the trial, and has not publicly weighed in on the matter.
However, a source familiar with the situation told Newsweek in April that Ivanka Trump—who served as a senior adviser to her father along with her husband, Jared Kushner, during his term in office—has been communicating with Donald Trump and "remains as supportive as ever."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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