Former President Donald Trump’s ongoing hush money trial has brought various high-profile figures to the courtroom, but notably absent has been his wife, Melania Trump. Legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance believes this absence will be noted by the jury.
Trump is on trial after being charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with falsifying business documents to cover up a hush money payment allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not guilty, asserting that Bragg’s charges are politically motivated.
Despite several Republican politicians, such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, and Rep. Lauren Boebert, attending the trial, Trump’s family, including Melania, has not been present since jury selection began. Vance highlighted this in a post on X, formerly Twitter, suggesting the jury will register the absence of Trump’s wife.
“In court with Trump today: Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz. When you can get these two but not your wife in court, it’s got to register with the jury,” Vance posted.
Supporting this view, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that the jury is likely to notice Melania’s absence. He pointed out the potential embarrassment for Melania hearing details of Trump’s alleged affair and other personal matters being aired in court. Rahmani added that Melania’s absence might imply a lack of support that could influence the jury’s perception.
While it remains uncertain if Melania Trump will attend the trial at any point, her former aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff indicated that she does not believe Melania will make an appearance. Wolkoff described Melania as independent and suggested she is unlikely to support Trump publicly in this manner.
Eric Trump is the only Trump child who has shown up in court so far. Mary Trump, the former president’s estranged niece, speculated on MSNBC about the absence of Donald Trump Jr., noting it is less surprising that Ivanka Trump has not attended due to her calculated distance from the family for her own interests.
