Seldom seen in public, and even more rarely beside her husband, former first lady Melania Trump is maintaining her distance from the multitude of legal problems dogging former president Donald Trump.
After decamping from their winter home at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida — the epicentre of one of the federal cases against Mr Trump — the former president has spent much of his time at his golf club at Bedminster, New Jersey.
Ms Trump, People reports, has spent the majority of the summer in Manhattan. She has not been at his side during any of the appearances or campaign events surrounding his indictments.
Citing a “social source”, People says: “Melania publicly supports her husband but privately prefers a life with 100 per cent privacy and no press scrutiny.”
“She knows how her husband is but still believes there has been too much dumping on him and wants nothing to do with any of it,” the source continues.
“She hates all of the legal problems and says very little about them anytime anywhere. She leads her own life.”
As her husband jets around the country vehemently denying the allegations made against him in the four indictments, Ms Trump has rarely been seen in public.
Notoriously private, the former first lady prefers to spend time with family and very few trusted friends.
The source explains: “Unlike others who belong to her husband’s clubs, she doesn’t rely on outside stimulants to guide her daily life. She has her son, other family members, and select friends.”
Former First Lady Melania Trump arrives at Trump Tower in Manhattan on 12 June 2023— (Getty)
They add: “So this fourth indictment is another problem for her husband. Not for her.”
People cites another source as saying that when the most recent indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis dropped on Monday night, it was unclear whether Ms Trump was at Bedminster with her husband.
They confirm that she tends to favour being in New York City over the family’s New Jersey residence and club.
Despite being in the centre of Manhattan, Ms Trump has been photographed sparingly over the summer months but is occasionally seen entering and exiting Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. She reportedly makes regular visits to hairdressers and consultations with longtime stylist Herve Pierre.
Ms Trump has reportedly rejected multiple requests to appear alongside the former president at campaign stops and appearances as part of the criminal cases against him in New York, Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia. They are said to meet for dinner on occasion.
Ms Trump alongside husband former president Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party 2022— (Getty Images)
The New York Times reported in July that the former first lady, who has eschewed the typical post-White House activities of her predecessors, is focusing on helping her and Donald’s 17-year-old son, Barron Trump, search for and apply to colleges.
Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told CNN that Ms Trump “knows” what’s “going on” with her husband’s indictment, but will turn up “when she wants to”.
Ms Trump waves as she sits in the front row with son Barron Trump as her husband announces he will once again run for the presidency in 2024 on 15 November 2022— (REUTERS)
“I don’t make anything of [her silence], she is saying in her mind, that this is his issue, he doesn’t need me here to prop him up and I’m too busy to go with him,” Ms Grisham said. “And that’s who she is. She will turn up by [Trump’s] side when she wants to [and] when she’s perfectly ready.”
Before the couple left Florida for the summer, they were pictured together at an Easter brunch at Mar-a-Lago in April and attended the club’s New Year’s Eve party to close out 2022.
Ms Trump was at her husband’s side in November 2022 when he launched his 2024 campaign to return to the White House.
