Former President Donald Trump continues to receive support from a majority of GOP lawmakers, with some even being quite vocal in their belief that the numerous indictments leveled against him are simply politically motivated.
However, one fixture was missing as Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday for the charge of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
His wife, Melania Trump; the former First Lady was a no-show.
The 53-year-old Melania reportedly rejected multiple requests to appear alongside her husband at not only his appearances in multiple criminal cases, including those in New York and Florida, but she has been absent at campaign stops and other appearances. In April, she had skipped the former President’s indictment trip from Florida to New York and was not named among the group of people who traveled aboard the private plane.
However, in May she told Fox News that she supports her husband’s bid to seek a return to the White House.
“My husband achieved tremendous success in his first administration, and he can lead us toward greatness and prosperity once again,” Melania Trump suggested to Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “He has my support, and we look forward to restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength.
She’ll Turn Up When She Wants To?
Much has been read into why the former First Lady has been largely out of the public spotlight, and as previously reported, she may opt to stay away from the campaign trail – at least for now.
“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,” Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told CNN. “And that’s who she is. She will turn up by [Trump’s] side when she wants to [and] when she’s perfectly ready.”
The Slovenian-American former model and businesswoman, who started dating Donald Trump after the pair met at a party in Manhattan in 1998, has reportedly been focused on helping the couple’s 17-year-old son Barron search for and apply to colleges.
Just Bad News
The UK’s Independent newspaper noted that she maintains a small social circle that includes her parents, son, and just a handful of old friends.
However, she has also made headlines for her consultations with longtime stylist Hervé Pierre Braillard – with Trump’s political action committee (PAC) apparently paying him more than $260,000 for “strategy consulting” since just the start of this year.
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that Braillard – who goes by Hervé Pierre professionally – was paid $108,000 by the Save America PAC during the first six months of 2023. He received the money in increments of $18,000 each month, according to a half-year report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Monday night.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has become one of the former president’s harshest critics, railed against the Trump campaign for using donations to help pay his myriad legal bills as well as for paying Braillard’s consulting services.
Though this latest news may not be enough to dissuade Trump’s most ardent supporters, it likely will not win over undecided voters. But support for Melania Trump can only go up. When the Trump presidency ended in January 2021, Melania was the least popular first lady to date.
Perhaps the strategy consulting will help address her image, or at least have her for good luck for any failed White House campaign.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
