LOVE, LUST, LOYALTY: Inside Donald and Melania Trump's 'failing' marriage
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Former president Donald Trump gave a 25-minute speech before a crowd of family and supporters at Mar-a-Lago on April 5 following his indictment. Trump thanked his children individually, but not his wife. Melania seemingly skipped the high-profile arraignment after being notably absent in the indictment trip to New York City. Melania's absence made social media erupt, with many supporting her after the apparent public humiliation she had had to go through for years.
“I built a great business with my family, a fantastic business,” he told the crowd, smiling at his family. "I have a son here who has done a great job, and I have another son here who has done a great job … and Tiffany, and Ivanka. And Barron will be great someday. He is tall, he is tall and he’s smart. But I have a great family and they have done a fantastic job and we appreciate it very much. They have gone through hell.” All got a shoutout, except Melania. In contrast, however, a picture of the couple emerged with friends at Trump’s Palm Beach resort a few days ago, although news of his indictment and arrest had already surfaced. The picture was taken by Trump-ally Gina Loudon, who described the scene as one of "love" and "happiness".
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Trump has pleaded not guilty to as many as 34 charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments. The case is believed to focus on a $130,000 hush money payment in an attempt to keep Stormy Daniels quiet following claims of infidelity.
Throughout Trump's presidency, there were times '#FreeMelania' was seen trending on social media. Many video clips showed her trying to dodge his attempts to hold her land. Some on the Internet even speculated that Melania could be a victim of domestic abuse.
Days after Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels was exposed, Melania refused to go to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with her husband. She said she cancelled the plans due to "scheduling and logistical issues." Neither Trump nor Melania, however, has ever revealed that their marriage is troubled, or failing.
'She never mentioned divorce'
Melania’s former Chief of Staff, Stephanie Grisham, has now opened up to the Daily Mail about Trump and the former First Lady's relationship. Grisham resigned after January 6 Capitol riots in 2021. "I believe Melania knew who her husband was when she married him. She has a very realistic and practical view of who her husband is. She never mentioned divorce. And when it came to Stormy, she always just said this: 'his problem'." Grisham said.
"I wasn't surprised that she wasn't [at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday]. She doesn't want to be seen as the wife who will be next to her husband no matter what he does. She puts herself first," she added. "She never wanted to be like Hillary Clinton. After the Monica Lewinsky news came out and [Hillary] still walked her husband out to the helicopter during lunch… Melania didn’t want to be that person. She's just not going to be some shrinking violet that stands next to him."
Donald Trump and Melania 'always seemed to have a partnership'
Claiming that Trump and Melania "always seemed to have a partnership to me," Grisham said, "He used to really look to her for advice and take her advice very seriously." Grisham has seemingly remained loyal to Melania but has been critical of Trump.
In fact, according to Acting Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller, it was Melania who urged Trump to make a public statement on the assassination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Miller revealed in his memoir that Melania sat next to her husband in the Situation Room back in 2019, during the raid to kill the ISIS leader in October that year.
Back in 2016, Melania revealed in an interview how she and Trump met. "He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn't give it to him. I said, “I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you”," she said in parts. Melania has never in her public statements said anything that is not in support of her husband.