Melania Trump slams Donald's trial a 'disgrace' as people wonder where she is

20 May 2024 , 11:59

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A source close to Melania spoke to reporters but could not be named for fear of jeopardising their personal relationship (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Melania Trump has been largely absent from the public eye during her husband’s highly publicised criminal trial, but inside sources have revealed what she really thinks of the former president’s criminal court case.

Melania was reportedly furious when allegations first came to light that the then-president had paid off adult film star Stormy Daniels in a bid to stop her from going public with claims of an extramarital affair, something he still denies. She left him alone in Washington DC when the allegations first surfaced, taking a jet to Palm Beach and leaving Donald to face the heat by himself.

When she did eventually return, she notably took a separate car to Donald J. Trump’s first State of the Union address. As a criminal trial against Mr Trump continues in Manhattan, which accuses the real estate mogul of falsifying his business records in an attempt to hide a $130,000 (£102,342) hush money payment to adult performer Stormy Daniels, Melania has continued to maintain a low profile.

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Melania Trump has kept a low profile as personal details of Mr Trump's love life have been aired in court (Getty Images)

She is understood to have called the criminal trial against her husband “a disgrace” in private conversations, the New York Times reports. The former first lady also branded the legal proceedings as tantamount to election interference, a person with direct knowledge of her comments reportedly told the paper, adding that the former First Lady sees the trial as "his problem" alone.

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The case, which sees the former president charged with 34 felonies, has featured excruciating testimony from Ms Daniels herself, sharing intimate details on the witness stand about Melania’s husband and his alleged infidelities. Mr Trump denies all 34 counts.

The trial has also seen testimony from David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, detailing meetings where he and Mr Trump cut deals to bury negative coverage about Mr Trump ahead of his run for president. Weeks of carefully orchestrated evidence from former aids and lawyers built up to the explosive moment Ms Daniels herself took the stand. Trump has denied having sex with her.

Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments on May 16, 2024 (Getty Images)

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Her explicit testimony led to several calls from Trump’s team for a mistrial which have so far proved unsuccessful. The evidence of the hush money payments themselves has chiefly come from Mr Trump's former fixer-turned-enemy, Michael Cohen, the man who allegedly made the payment to Ms Daniels on behalf of his then-boss, Trump.

Mr Cohen worked as Mr Trump's personal attorney for 10 years and has given evidence at the trial that has been attacked by Trump’s lawyers on the grounds of his credibility. Trump’s team says the court cannot trust the word of a criminal who did jail time after being convicted of several charges including lying to Congress.

Melania Trump made a public appearance at her son Barron's high school graduation (AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Melania made a return to the public eye at her husband’s side on Friday as the pair attended their Barron's high school graduation. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, authorised a day off from the proceedings on Friday so the former president could attend Barron's graduation from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, with Melania.

The pair were photographed smiling together as they watched the graduation ceremony at the $41,500 (£32,769) per year private institution, near Trump's infamous Mar-a-Lago resort - which is itself the scene of yet another of the presumptive Republican nominee's four criminal trials. This one accuses him of illegally stashing classified documents in the bathroom and other areas of the resort after he left office in 2021.

However the president appeared smiling and playful as he cheered on his son at the ceremony, meanwhile, Melania could be seen grinning broadly from under the brim of a straw hat.

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