Donald Trump is upset that his wife, Melania Trump, has not attended his criminal trial in New York, despite other family members supporting the former president in person, according to his former press secretary.
Stephanie Grisham, who served as White House Press Secretary from 2019 to 2021, told CNN that a reporter’s constant questions about Melania’s whereabouts “absolutely” irritate the former president.
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“Oh, absolutely, I know it bothers him,” Grisham told Erin Burnett on Wednesday. Grisham noted that he would definitely bring it up with Mrs. Trump if she wasn’t at an event.
Melania has disappeared from the public eye since the Trumps left office in 2020. Recently, Melania has resumed her association with the former president during his 2024 Republican nomination campaign, mainly at their Mar-a-Lago estate. However, she has not attended his six-week trial for alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Melania paid the alleged payments to conceal Daniels and Trump’s affair, which transpired shortly after Barron’s birth.
Every day, a reporter asks Trump in the courthouse hallways, “Where’s Melania?” The former president consistently ignores it.
According to Grisham, Trump disliked it when Melania did not attend specific occasions during his presidency, so her absence from the trial will irritate him: “In this context, it’s definitely really bothering him.”
Trump has frequently received support from Republican leaders such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, and former presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, all of whom have spoken outside the New York City courthouse. Family members have also accompanied him, but not Melania.
“I would be absolutely floored if she showed up; there’s just no way,” stated Grisham. “In her mind, I think she would think she was caving or even looking weak to suddenly show up.”
Duaghter’s daughter, Ivanka, who has abandoned politics since leaving her position as an advisor in her father’s White House, has also been absent from the trial.
“I believe Melania and Ivanka are concerned about their own optics. They haven’t been here the entire time, and I’m not sure whether showing up now will accomplish anything but fuel conjecture,” Grisham added.
According to Grisham, Ivanka’s absence at the trial is unsurprising given her desire to shelter her children from it.
According to a source close to Trump, Ivanka and Jared may attend the trial before the jury returns a verdict, which could happen as soon as today. However, this has not been publicly confirmed.
