Melania Trump is said to be ‘easing back into the Trump campaign’ after her absence sparked rumors that their marriage was on the rocks.
Aloof and enigmatic, the Slovenian-born former model has been conspicuously absent as husband Donald Trump makes his third bid for the White House.
She has also not attended court hearings with her husband, while he is handling numerous cases. His first criminal trial begins Monday and her plans remain unclear.
The lawsuit centers on allegations that Trump falsified business records to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels.
The 53-year-old was left “humiliated” by Trump’s alleged affair with Daniels, according to one of her former aides.
Aloof and enigmatic, the Slovenian-born former model was conspicuously absent as husband Donald Trump made his third bid for the White House
Her absence is unusual in the US, where the norm is for politicians’ spouses to show solidarity in times of crisis, which has fueled rumors about the couple’s relationship.
Trump, left, arrives with Melania Trump for a GOP fundraiser, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Palm Beach
In early April, Melania Trump accompanied her husband to a major fundraising event where Republicans raised more than $50 million for his presidential campaign.
And on April 20, she will participate in a fundraiser for a group of LGBTQ conservatives called Log Cabin Republicans.
It’s hard to tell whether the former first lady is starting to make minimal appearances to put an end to speculation about the couple, or out of a desire to help her husband win back the White House in November.
For Katherine Jellison, a professor of history at Ohio University and a specialist in presidential couples, the fundraising appearances illustrate an important shift by Melania Trump.
“These are just a few appearances, but they appear to be signs that she is working her way back into public life – and into the Trump campaign,” Jellison told AFP.
Melania Trump herself had hinted at such a comeback in a very brief conversation with journalists in mid-March.
“Stay tuned,” she said, smiling, wearing large dark glasses.
According to Jellison, the former first lady may prefer events like the one she is attending in April.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, waves to the crowd during the Human Rights Campaign’s ‘Equality in Action’ event on Friday, April 12, 2024
Trump stands on stage with Melania after announcing he will run again for US president in the 2024 elections
In November, Melania Trump appeared at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral, along with fellow first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton
“She seems most comfortable at these events, rather than the more typical campaign activities for a political spouse — shaking hands and chatting with a crowd of voters,” Jellison said.
She believes that style is more suited to Jill Biden, whose husband, President Joe Biden, is Donald Trump’s Democratic rival in the November elections.
Jill Biden regularly crosses the country, not afraid to enter hotly contested states. And in early March she launched an initiative to mobilize women voters.
Melania Trump, on the other hand, has not had it easy with her previous major public appearances.
Her speech to the 2016 Republican nominating convention was ridiculed, and not without merit: Entire passages were lifted from a speech by former first lady Michelle Obama.
She also faced criticism for trips she made as first lady, particularly when she visited newly arrived migrant children at a shelter near the border with Mexico.
Former President Donald Trump, right, stands next to Melania Trump, second from right, as they are greeted by John Paulson, left, and Alina de Almeida, second from left, at a GOP fundraiser
Melania Trump had an event for Log Cabin Republicans at Mar-a-Lago in November 2021
She wore a jacket with the message ‘I really don’t care. Do you?’ written on the back. Since then, she has been sparing and cautious in her public appearances.
She emerged from her silence in a rare interview in 2018. When asked about her husband’s alleged infidelity with porn star Stormy Daniels, she assured the questioner that she had “much more important things to think about.”
It was the hush money payments that Donald Trump approved to the adult film actress shortly before the 2016 election that led to his first criminal trial.
Jury selection begins Monday in New York. With or without Melania, the ex-president is expected to attend.
Trump faces 34 felonies and, if convicted, could face up to four years in prison on each of the 34 charges against him.
However, it is more likely that the 77-year-old will receive probation as he is a first-time offender in the state.
Melania kisses Trump after giving a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016
Donald and Melania Trump arrive for the official launch of the Trump 2020 campaign at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on June 18, 2019
Daniels told 60 Minutes in 2018 that she met Trump at an event in Nevada in 2006 and he invited her to dinner.
She said she met him in his hotel suite, where they had sex. Daniels said Trump later invited her to other events in New York and California.
Prosecutors allege that Trump’s fixer Michael Cohen wired Daniels’ lawyer $130,000 to keep her quiet about their encounters.
Trump denies having an affair with Daniels. At a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, he said: “It’s a scam. That’s not a process. That’s a scam.”
He said he would testify at a time when the judge refused to postpone the trial due to the enormous amount of publicity surrounding the case.