Donald Trump’s announcement of his presidential bid garnered plenty of attention, but not as much as the multitude of legal battles he’s currently embroiled in. Right now, the former president is facing 34 felony charges related to the falsification of business records. These allegations stem from an alleged effort to conceal a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, aimed at preventing her from disclosing a previous sexual encounter she claimed to have had with Trump years ago—an accusation vehemently denied by Trump.
He pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to hide damaging information. Back in 2018, Trump confessed that a non-disclosure agreement that his attorney, Michael Cohen, had made with Daniels existed but no campaign money was involved in the deal.
Following the indictment, Trump released a statement, describing it a “witch-hunt” that will “backfire massively” on President Joe Biden.
“The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
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The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the matter and pleaded “not guilty.”
A source “who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president” told Yahoo that Trump was not put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell, or forced to have a mugshot taken.
People close to Melania Trump claim she’s far from happy with the situation her husband has found himself in. “She remains angry and doesn’t want to hear [the alleged hush money payment] mentioned,” the source told People. “She is aware of who her husband is and keeps her life upbeat with her own family and a few close friends.”
Stephanie Grisham, former White House aid, told Inside Edition, “I would be very, very surprised. I would be very surprised to see her in court. Because it has to do with Stormy Daniels. It’s just not in her to stand by her man for something like that.
“She’s not lending him a whole lot of moral support, and I’m sure she’s still thinking: ‘You got yourself into this mess. I’m certainly not going to walk beside you and support you as you try to get out of it,’” she added.
Grisham recalled the time Melania learned of the affair and was disgusted with Donald. “She always said to me, ‘this is his problem,’” Grisham recalled.
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Stephanie Clifford, the adult film actress and exotic dancer known as Stormy Daniels, took the stand Tuesday in Donald Trump‘s hush money trial.
Her testimony involved details of her journey into exotic dancing and provided information about her encounter with Trump in July 2006.
She has also seemed to have confirmed a detail regarding the former president’s relationship with his wife, Melania.
In response to questioning, Daniels testified that Trump’s bodyguard, Keith Schiller, asked her if she wanted to join Trump for dinner, which she refused. However, upon her publicist’s insisting, she agreed and found herself arriving at the penthouse floor where she encountered Schiller and noticed a partially open door to Trump’s room.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: Adult film actress Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford) exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York for a hearing related to Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal attorney and confidante, April 16, 2018 in New York City. Cohen and lawyers representing President Trump are asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to Cohen’s relationship with President Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen’s office and two private residences last week. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
According to her, Trump was wearing satin pajamas and she asked him to change, which she did. What followed was a conversation during which the business mogul asked “very thought-out business questions” about Daniels’ work.
“He asked about the business aspects of it. Are there any unions, do you get residuals, how are people paid. Do you get health insurance. What about testing. Are you worried about STDs?” she recalled on the stand.
“The intention was pretty clear: somebody stripped down to their underwear and is posing for you,” Stormy Daniels told the court.
“He stood up between me and the door. Not in a threatening manner. He didn’t come at me, he didn’t rush at me. Nothing like that. When I exited he was just up on the bed, like this.”
While he was interested into Daniels’ personal life, their discussion about him and his wife Melania, who had recently given birth to their son Barron, was described as “very brief.”
Daniels recalled asking Trump about his wife and commenting of her beauty, and remembered him saying “We don’t sleep in the same room.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 07: Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 7, 2024 in New York City. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges. (Photo by Sarah Yenesel-Pool/Getty Images)
In a Washington Post feature from 2018, a source disclosed that then-President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump did not share a bedroom.
First lady scholar Annette Dunlap shared with People that the last time couples occupied separate bedrooms in the White House was Patricia and Richard Nixon. Prior to the 1970s, it wasn’t particularly unusual for couples to have separate sleeping arrangements.
“It was kind of a European thing,” Dunlap said at the time. “The idea of sleeping in the same bed together in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century was a symbol of poverty, because you couldn’t afford your own bed or your own bedroom.”
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Melania Trump was not the only other family member Stormy Daniels mentioned. She also claimed that Donald Trump had compared her to his “beautiful” daughter, Ivanka.
“You remind me of my daughter because she’s smart, blonde, and beautiful, and people underestimate her,” Stormy Daniels claimed Trump said.
Also, they discussed the possibility of her appearing on The Celebrity Apprentice.
“I said, ‘Even you don’t’ have this much power.’ He said, ‘You remind me of my daughter because she’s smart, blonde, and beautiful, and people underestimate her.’ The way he framed it did actually make perfect sense.”
The initial trial witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, testified against Donald Trump. Pecker had previously confessed to utilizing his media company to assist the former president’s campaign in suppressing negative stories, including allegations of an affair with Stormy Daniels.
Speaking to CNN, Stephanie Grisham said, “I can guarantee [Melania] is watching every ounce of coverage, and when that [information about Pecker’s private email] came out, it piqued her interest.”
“Melania is very much about proof, show proof. And so if some more damaging stuff should come out that she didn’t know about because, of course, her husband continues to deny all of the details here, about Stormy especially.”
She concluded, “If some other stuff comes out, I think that’ll be really interesting to watch because you can’t really dispute things that are in writing and that’s something she always paid quite a bit of attention to, was proof.”
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Donald Trump has not yet testified, and the outcome of the trial remains uncertain. Meanwhile, his family, particularly Melania Trump, has maintained a relatively low profile, refraining from significant public statements.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham was eager to learn if Melania plans to join Trump at his rallies. “It’s a question I’m asked a lot, that Jill Biden is everywhere,” Ingraham told Trump during a recent town hall meeting. “She’s campaigning everywhere for Joe Biden and she did in 2020.
“Will we see more of your secret weapon, for those of us who know your wife, Melania? Will we see more of her this time around, given her ability to speak so many languages… [she’s] so wonderful with children and everyone? I think a lot of people here want to see more of her.”
Trump didn’t hesitate before offering an answer. “They love her, I’ll tell you,” he responded. “And you know her. She’s a very brilliant person. She speaks many languages, the whole thing.
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 31: Former U.S. President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump arrive for a New Years event at his Mar-a-Lago home on December 31, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump continues to run for a second term as the President of the United States. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“Her life revolves around that boy, [he’s] so important to her. At the same time, it also revolves around our country and the success of our country. She’s raised a lot of money for charity.”
The former president continued, “She’s a private person. It’s funny; she was a very successful model, very, very successful, and yet she was a private person. She’s going to be out a lot, not because she likes doing it, but she likes the result. She wants to see this country really succeed.”
“[The people] love the fact that she’s not out there so much. You know, a lot of first ladies will go out. They want to be everywhere. They get angry at their husband because he’s not introducing them. If I didn’t introduce Melania she’d be very happy about it. She’s just a different kind of a person. And she loves the country.”
Donald Trump concluded, “She’s gonna be out quite a bit, and she loves his country, and she wants a great, and she says hello.”
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