Melania Trump has officially broken her radio silence with a Happy Easter tweet, her first social media post in a month.
The former first lady has not been since March 30, the night her husband Donald Trump was charged with falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments he allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former bouncer in the spotlight.
Since this event 10 days ago, Melania seems to have vanished into thin air.
She wasn’t in New York City last week to support her husband as he faced the charges, nor was she seen later that night at the former president’s homecoming in Florida as he called out each of his children – but not mentioned by Melanie.
Melania also hadn’t posted anything on her official Twitter page since March 9, until Sunday when her tweet tweeted out with a simple “Happy Easter!” message and a picture of a pink rose.
Melania Trump broke the radio silence on Sunday with a simple “Happy Easter!” tweet
Melania has not been seen in public since March 30, the night it was announced Trump would be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
Previous reports have indicated that Melania will stand by her husband despite ongoing anger at her husband for the hush money he allegedly paid to pornstar Stormy Daniels to calm a one night stand she allegedly had what Trump denies.
However, Melania was not by his side when he turned himself in to authorities last Tuesday when he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of crime, nor was she present at his rally in Mar-a-Lago in the aftermath.
Three of Trump’s five children – Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany – sat in the front row with their significant others: Kimberly Guilfoyle, Lara Trump and Michael Boulos at the rally.
But Melania Trump, his wife at 18, and Ivanka Trump, his eldest and some say favorite child, were noticeably absent.
Ivanka has said she’s done with politics and wants to focus on raising her son and daughter with husband Jared Kushner, who was recently treated for thyroid cancer.
Trump’s youngest son, Barron, was also missing, but the 17-year-old, who is still in high school, rarely appears in public with the rest of the family.
Curiously, Viktor Knavs, Melania’s father, sat between the former president’s two sons in the front row, a prominent seat that put him squarely in the eye of the cameras.
It’s unclear why the former first lady wasn’t there, but sources told she’s hurt and angry at allegations that Trump was having an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, as she’s faced it for up to a year and a half, getting them dirty Laundry is aired publicly while the criminal case drags on in New York.
Sources who know the former first lady well say she has chosen to stay out of the spotlight to protect herself from news of her husband’s infidelity
Melania was notably absent on Saturday night when Trump attended the UFC 287 wrestling match in downtown Miami
Former President Donald Trump is pictured with Kid Rock at the wrestling match
Nonetheless, Melania’s no-show was in stark contrast to last week, when a picture of the couple emerged with friends at Trump’s Palm Beach resort, despite recent news of his indictment and imminent arrest.
This isn’t the first time Melania has gone missing in action.
In January 2018, days after Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels was published by The Wall Street Journal, the first lady canceled plans to accompany her husband to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
She blamed “scheduling and logistical problems” at the time.
Melania also wasn’t there to play the supportive political wife when her embattled husband traveled to New York on Tuesday to face a judge and hear the 34 indictments
Those who know the former first lady well now say she chose to stay out of the spotlight to protect herself from news of her husband’s infidelity.
Before the charges were announced last week, a source told PEOPLE that Melania, 52, “lives her own life” and “still feels happy” at Mar-a-Lago but “remains angry and doesn’t want to hear about it.” “. the alleged $130,000 hush money to Daniels.
And Lauren Wright, a political scientist at Princeton University, told she was “not surprised that Melania was nowhere to be found at her husband’s post-arraignment speech.
“During Trump’s presidency, when the issue of Stormy Daniels arose, Melania maintained her independence in one way or another, either avoiding the topic or, most famously, contradicting those who claimed to know her feelings about the alleged extramarital relationship.” , she remarked .
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former assistant and friend, also said she believes Melania’s recent silence and disappearance from the scene was intentional.
“It’s their weapon of choice and armor of choice,” she says.
It is still unclear whether she will stand by her husband again if he wins the Republican nomination for the upcoming US election.
“All I’ve been told is that she doesn’t want any part of the 2024 presidential cycle and the campaigns that she would have to do,” says Myra Gutin, president of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education.
“She hasn’t been to Trump’s rallies and I don’t think she’s ever been particularly happy in the White House, so yeah, I can see she’s less than thrilled about all of this.”