Melania Trump Addresses the Rumors About Her

Former First Lady Melania Trump addressed rumors that have spread about her in the week since her husband, former President Donald Trump, was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom.

Observers noted that Melania—who over the years has frequently appeared alongside the former president at public events—was absent from his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records in connection to an alleged hush money payment made during his 2016 campaign, as well as his speech later that night at Mar-a-Lago, in which he decried his treatment within the U.S. justice system.

Rumors and speculation spread about Melania's absence in the following days, with People magazine reporting based on anonymous sources that she is "uncomfortable" with political appearances, while Page Six reported, also with anonymous sources, that she was hesitant to join her husband's 2024 campaign. However, these reports have neither been independently verified nor confirmed by Trump herself.

She responded to these reports and rumors in a statement released by her office Tuesday morning. While she did not address any specific rumors, she urged people to use "good judgment" when reading anonymously-reported news articles about her.

"News organizations have made assumptions about the former First Lady's stance on subjects that are personal, professional, and political over the past few weeks. In these articles, unnamed sources are cited to bolster the author's claims," the statement reads.

The statement continues: "We ask readers to exercise caution and good judgment when determining whether or not stories concerning the former First Lady are accurate, particularly when they fail to cite Mrs. Trump as a source of information."

In addition to not responding to specific rumors, the statement also did not make any mention of her husband, who last week became the first former president to face criminal charges. The charges stem from the hush payment allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in relation to an alleged affair between the two. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and maintains his innocence in the case, accusing prosecutors of engaging in a politically-motivated "witch-hunt."

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former aid to Melania, previously told Page Six that she believes the ex-first lady is "angry" about the affairs, though Melania has not addressed this speculation.

"I never expected to see her there. Her silence is deliberate, it is her weapon of choice and her protective armor," Wolkoff told The Post. "Of course she knows about Donald's affairs, she knows everything. But her silence is her dignity. She will stand by her husband, as she always does. I don't think Melania is humiliated by his affairs — but she is angry."

Melania Trump has remained quiet about the recent developments in her husband's legal affairs but has previously commented on the alleged affair with Daniels.

During a 2018 Good Morning America appearance, she said she believes her husband.

"I'm a mother and a first lady and I have much more important things to think about and to do. I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage and circulate the gossip," she said.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email.