Where is Melania Trump? How the former first lady's absence during her husband's trial has raised eyebrows

Melania Trump was notably absent during Donald Trump’s arraignment, both at the Miami courtroom this week and in Manhattan where he faced criminal charges comprising 34 felony counts. She is continuing on with her life at the couple’s Palm Beach home, despite the legal issues looming over her husband. Former US president Donald Trump says that his wife and former first lady Melania Trump was “hurt” after the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted him. However, some reports reveal that Melania was angry about her husband’s role in the alleged hush money payment, which stems from a rumoured extramarital affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. While others claim she is supportive of her husband, but prefers to be alone. We take a closer look at why Melania Trump shrinks from the limelight. Absence of former first lady Donald Trump has been forced to sit quietly in court twice in recent weeks to hear felony charges levelled against him and on both occasions has sought solace in the company of family, friends and his devoted followers. But one high-profile supporter of the Republican former president has been conspicuous by her absence: his wife, Melania. **Also Read: Donald Trump is indicted again: What is the classified documents case?** Trump gave himself up to US Marshals in Miami on Tuesday to be arraigned on a slew of federal charges over his alleged mishandling of government secrets since leaving the White House. The ex-president took a sizable entourage — the motorcade to the courthouse was made up of six SUVs — and crowds of Trump loyalists converged with brightly coloured banners and messages of solidarity. But his wife was nowhere to be seen, raising eyebrows among Trump-watchers by declining to accompany him to the courthouse or even release a supportive statement from a distance. [caption id=“attachment_12740722” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Donald Trump paid tribute to his family but didn’t mention his wife, reheating speculation over the couple’s “transactional” marriage. AFP[/caption] “Americans are used to seeing political wives literally standing by their men in times of scandal and crisis,” said Katherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University who specialises in US first ladies. “So, Melania’s physical absence during her husband’s recent public appearances is particularly noticeable.” Trump also didn’t mention her The former US first lady had been pictured leaving Trump Tower as he was flying from his summer home in New Jersey to Florida a day earlier and making her way to various appointments around Manhattan, flanked by her Secret Service detail. **Also Read: What happened during Trump’s appearance in Miami court? And what’s next?** She was also absent when Trump was processed in a Manhattan court in April, on more than 30 felony counts of misrepresenting hush money payments to buy a porn star’s silence over an alleged sexual encounter. And the 53-year-old Slovenian skipped her husband’s fiery post-arraignment speech back at the couple’s Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida, despite living there, and despite her own father having taken his place in the front row. **Also Read: Secret Documents Case: The charges that could spell doom for Donald Trump** Trump paid tribute to his family but didn’t mention his wife, reheating speculation over the couple’s “transactional” marriage raised in 2020 by ex-Vogue magazine executive and former Melania confidante Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Melania Trump’s office released a cryptic statement days later cautioning readers to be wary of news articles about her based on “unnamed sources… cited to bolster the author’s claims.” After Trump learned last Thursday that he had been indicted for a second time, he dined at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey and, according to several New York media outlets, played his favourite tunes from a DJ booth at the clubhouse. [caption id=“attachment_12740732” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Donald Trump gave himself up to US Marshals in Miami on 13 June to be arraigned on a slew of federal charges over his alleged mishandling of government secrets since leaving the White House. File image/AFP[/caption] Melania had been pictured by The New York Post going into Trump Tower in Manhattan hours earlier, and did not take the 90-minute drive to join her husband. The office of the former first lady — who married Trump in 2005 — did not respond to AFP’s request for comment, but Wolkoff told celebrity gossip outfit Page Six that Melania’s silence was her way of retaining her dignity. “Melania lives in an ivory tower of denial… Her silence is deliberate, it is her weapon of choice and her protective armour,” Wolkoff said. ‘She doesn’t care’ Trump appeared to anticipate Melania’s absence from Tuesday’s arraignment as he referred to her apparent insouciance in a pre-arraignment interview on long-time ally Roger Stone’s radio show. “She made a tremendous amount of money — she was very successful as a model — and in a very low key way, she doesn’t care that much,” he said. “She’s got an attitude that’s amazing, she’s got a tremendous heart. But she takes things for what they are and she’s just a very confident person.” The former first lady’s low profile this week provided a split-screen moment as Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor Trump’s closest rival in the Republican presidential nomination contest, toured Oklahoma with his wife Casey rarely far from his side. **Also Read: How Trump’s indictment will affect the 2024 presidential race** The 42-year-old former TV host has been touted as her husband’s secret weapon, delighting supporters with her easy charm and even being talked up as a potential political star in her own right. “With their long dark hair and attention-grabbing wardrobes, the two women somewhat resemble one another physically. But the comparisons stop there,” said Jellison, the history professor. “Mrs DeSantis is an eager and highly visible campaigner for her husband. She is at least as interested in her husband’s political career as he is,” he added. “Mrs Trump, at least at this stage in her life, appears not to be eager or interested in helping her husband’s political career.” With inputs from AFP Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.