Donald Trump has admitted it has not been “easy” for his wife Melania given his presidential campaign and his criminal trial.
Trump recently became the first former president in US history to be criminally convicted after he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a 2016 campaign scheme to pay hush money to women claiming they had affairs with him. The former president denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to all charges, and has vowed to appeal the verdict, calling the ruling a “disgrace.”
His family —including his son Barron, his daughter Ivanka, and Melania— were notably absent at the trial, with Melania and Barron opting to stay at their home in Mar-a-Lago - something that reportedly “definitely” bothered the former president.
Melania’s silence following her husband’s conviction was also noted by observers, with some mocking the former president on social media for it.
The trial is one of four criminal cases that Trump is involved in, on top of multiple civil cases, as he campaigns to be reelected to the White House.
Amid his time in the spotlight, Trump sat down with TV host Dr Phil, real name Phil McGraw, to discuss the impact that the trial, as well as his 2024 election campaign, has had on his family.
During the interview, McGraw asked Trump how the former first lady was “holding up through all this.”
“I think good,” he replied. “But I don’t think it’s an easy thing for her, and I think if it wasn’t good, she wouldn’t want to tell me about it, to be honest.
“Because, you know, she sees that I’m fighting like hell, I’m trying to become president and make America great again,” he added.
He continued: “I have a wonderful wife - it’s not easy for her to read about this stuff, that’s fake - fake stuff.”
Trump also offered a similar assessment of how his youngest son Barron was handling the difficulties of his father being in the spotlight - especially after turning 18 years old.
“I think he doesn’t say because he doesn’t want to hurt me and thinks it’s a possibly a hurtful conversation, but it has to affect my family,” he said.
Ultimately, though, the former president believes his family “tolerate” his 2024 campaign out of patriotism and their faith in Donald Trump.
“I think to a certain extent, my family wants me to do it. Our country’s in trouble. We could be in a world war very soon,” Trump told the host, adding, “My family loves this country and I think they feel I do a good job.”
Melania and Barron Trump were spotted leaving Trump Tower in New York on Thursday for the first time since the former president’s guilty verdict. The New York Post reported that the pair had several luggage bags in tow and drove off in a bulletproof Secret Service SUV. They are believed to be staying at the family’s residence in Bedminster, New Jersey.
In private, Melania reportedly considered the trial a “disgrace” and election interference, a source close to the Trump family told The New York Times.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox & Friends on 2 June, Trump admitted that the hush-money trial had been “very hard” on the former first lady.
“It’s tougher. I think it’s probably in many ways—it’s tougher on my family than it is on me,” he said.
He added: “She’s fine, but I think it’s very hard for her. I mean, she’s fine. But it’s, you know, she has to read all this c***.”
