On Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump was arraigned on 34 separate charges for the same crime by a Soros-funded district attorney who campaigned on the pledge to go after Trump. After pleading not guilty to all the charges, it was widely expected that Trump would address the media after the arraignment at the courthouse, but instead, Trump left silently and waited until his evening address at Mar-a-Lago to make his first public comments.
His speech, which incorporated parts of his typical campaign stump speech, heavily emphasized the radical left’s persistent attempts to target him. In addition to discussing his arraignment, Trump’s speech delved into past accusations levied against him, including the bogus Russian collusion allegations and the raid of his Mar-a-Lago home. The indictment, however, was the big issue, and Trump warned about the negative ramifications it had for the country.
“I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” he began. “I never thought it could happen. The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”
However, what Trump didn’t say during his speech may have been more intriguing than what he did say. Toward the end of his speech, he expressed gratitude towards his family for standing by him throughout his legal ordeal.
“I have a son here who’s done a great job and I have another son here who’s done a great job; and Tiffany, and Ivanka,” Trump said. “And Barron will be great someday. He’s tall and smart. But I have a great family and they’ve done a fantastic job and we appreciate it very much.”
Notably absent from Trump’s expression of appreciation for his family was any mention of his wife, Melania Trump, who was also absent from the speech and was not by his side at the arraignment either. She was present at his presidential campaign announcement in November.
What does her absence mean, exactly? It’s hard to say. Last month, People magazine suggested that the looming indictment over the alleged “hush money” payments to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair that took place not long after Melania gave birth to Barron Trump was causing significant friction between Donald and Melania.
“Melania is leading her own life, and still feels happy being at Mar-a-Lago, surrounded by people who love her and who never talk about reality, or bad things about her husband,” a source told the magazine. According to the report, this doesn’t mean that she’s supportive of her husband’s role in the alleged “hush money” payment. “…he remains angry and doesn’t want to hear [the alleged hush money payment] mentioned,” the source explained. “She is aware of who her husband is and keeps her life upbeat with her own family and a few close friends.”
However, a more recent report from this week gave a much different impression.
“Melania and Donald were both shocked when they were told,” a political source told the magazine. “They weren’t expecting it, but Melania will support him. That’s what she does. They are a family.”
Donald and Melania dined with a group of people Thursday night after the indictment came down. According to a Palm Beach source, they appeared not to be terribly rattled.
“Like usual, drama swirls around them and they wade through it,” the source tells PEOPLE. “It’s part of their lives.”
The source adds that Melania is upset and angry about the indictment — which stems from an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 — but not devastated. Like her husband, she is more surprised.
While it’s understandable that Melania Trump would choose not to attend her husband’s speech, the media has been rampant with speculation regarding the state of the couple’s relationship. While the Trumps’ marriage has always been scrutinized by the press, the current situation has only amplified this scrutiny.
