Former President Donald Trump didn’t mention his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump during his speech at Mar-A-Lago in Florida, hours after he was arrested in New York on Tuesday, April 4. During the speech, where he continued to deny the charges of falsifying business records, Donald, 76, did include praise for all five of his children, while he left out his wife, 52.
Toward the end of his speech, Donald proceeded to give shoutouts to his sons Donald Jr., 45, Eric, 39, and Barron, 17, as well as his two daughters Ivanka, 41, and Tiffany, 29. “I built a great business with my family, built a fantastic business,” he said. “I have a son here who’s done a great job and I have another son here who’s done a great job and Tiffany and Ivanka. Barron will be great someday. He’s tall. He is tall and he’s smart.”
He included one more bit of general praise for his family, but he did not name Melania specifically. “I have a great family and they’ve done a fantastic job and we appreciate it very much. They’ve gone through hell,” he said, while speaking about the investigations into him.
Trump had his three eldest children with his first wife Ivana, who died at 73 in July. He had Tiffany with his second wife Marla Maples, 59. Barron is the only child that he has with Melania. While Don Jr. and Tiffany both attended Trump’s Mar-A-Lago speech, Melania and Barron were both noticeably absent. Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner also did not attend the Florida speech. While Melania wasn’t seen at the speech, a source close to her told People that she was still supporting her husband through the legal battle. “They weren’t expecting [the indictment], but Melania will support him,” they said. “That’s what she does. They are a family.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump surrendered for arrest after an indictment from the grand jury investigation into him allegedly falsifying business records, including an alleged hush money payment to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels. Trump was arraigned at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and he pleaded “not guilty” to all 34 of the charges.
In the leadup to the indictment, a source close to Melania told People that she wasn’t happy about all the talk about the alleged affair with Stormy. They said that she was still “happy” at Mar-A-Lago and around the people she surrounds herself with. “She remains angry and doesn’t want to hear [the alleged hush money payment] mentioned,” they said. “She is aware of who her husband is and keeps her life upbeat with her own family and a few close friends.”