As former President Donald Trump's hush money trial continues in New York City, speculation is mounting about whether his wife, Melania Trump, will make an appearance to support him. According to Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and aide to the former first lady, it is unlikely that Melania will accompany her husband to court.
In a recent interview with CNN, Wolkoff stated, "I don't think we're going to see Melania Trump accompany Donald to court. Melania is Melania's own person. In regards, again, to a marriage that you want to consider to be something that most people are trying to still understand, don't. I do not see her supporting him this way."
Wolkoff, who has been vocal about the couple's relationship in the past, added, "I think you can feel that humiliation without having to put yourself in front of the cameras. Everything Melania does is staged." Her comments have reignited discussions about the nature of the Trumps' marriage, which has often been described as unconventional.
In a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wolkoff shared text messages from a prior conversation with Melania, further emphasizing the complexity of their relationship. "It's an unconventional marriage & she's complicit. Remember that Melania does not care what anyone thinks about her or Donald. She knows who she married and so does he," Wolkoff wrote.
Donald Trump, 77, is currently facing charges related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claim to have had affairs with the former president. As the trial exposes details of these alleged relationships, Melania Trump's absence from the courtroom has become increasingly noticeable.
CNN star Kaitlan Collins believes that the former first lady is likely not thrilled about being in the headlines, particularly due to the personal nature of the allegations. "Karen McDougal is one of the most personal parts of this because she alleged not only that they had an affair, she said they had a relationship," Collins claimed. "And this was something that when, I know from covering the White House and covering Melania Trump, it was deeply upsetting for the first, the former first lady, Melania Trump, and it created a rift in the relationship between her and Donald Trump."
As the trial enters its fifth week, Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and "fixer," has taken the stand to testify about the Access Hollywood tape that was leaked before the 2016 election. In the tape, Trump can be heard making lewd comments about women, stating that "you can do anything" to them "when you're a star," including grabbing their genitalia.
During his testimony, Cohen mentioned that Trump wanted to spin the tape as "locker room talk," something that he claimed Melania had recommended. "The spin that he wanted put on it was that this is locker room talk, something that Melania had recommended-or at least he told me that's what Melania had thought-and use that in order to take control over the story to minimize its impact over him and his campaign," Cohen said.
Melania Trump has drawn criticism on social media following Cohen's remarks about the "locker room talk," further fueling speculation about her role in the ongoing trial and her relationship with her husband.
As the trial continues, a number of Republicans have attended in support of the former president, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who stated, "President Trump is a friend and I wanted to be here to support him. This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial. They are doing this intentionally to keep him here and keep him off of the campaign trail."
