Melania Trump emerges after conspicuous absence as her husband, Donald, is charged with criminal offences

A smiling Melania Trump has been spotted in New York amid her husband’s legal troubles, having stayed conspicuously quiet.

Melania Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower around 3pm on Wednesday 14 June, 2023. Picture: Robert Miller

A smiling Melania Trump waved to the crowd outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Wednesday, local time, as she was seen in public for the first time since her husband’s arraignment on criminal charges.

The former first lady was photographed outside the New York City skyscraper with her son Barron before the pair hopped into a Chevy Suburban packed with designer suitcases.

The New York Post reports they were heading to another Trump property in Bedminster, New Jersey, where they joined Donald Trump in celebrating his 77th birthday.

Melania was wearing a flared, $4700 Gucci shirt-dress and carrying a white Hermes handbag, while 17-year-old Barron wore a navy suit.

Her sunny demeanour contrasted with the stony-faced image she presented when arriving at Trump Tower a day earlier, ahead of Mr Trump’s appearance in court.

Melania Trump seen leaving Trump Tower on Wednesday 14 June, 2023. Picture: Robert Miller

Barron Trump joined his mother. Picture: Robert Miller

Meanwhile Mr Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, marked his birthday with a gushing message on Instagram.

“Happy birthday, dad. You are the most incredible father. Your love, energy and strength inspire me every day,” she wrote.

“Wishing you a year filled with the happiness you deserve.”

Ivanka’s post included cute images of her with her father as both an adult and a child.

It did not mention Mr Trump’s criminal case. Ivanka has remained conspicuously quiet about her father’s legal dramas, and has seemed to distance herself from his political aspirations.

When Mr Trump announced he was running for the presidency again late last year, she quickly issued a statement signalling her intention not to be involved in the campaign.

“I love my father very much. This time around I am choosing to prioritise my young children and the private life we are creating as a family,” she said.

“I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.

“I am grateful to have had the honour of serving the American people and I will always be proud of many of our administration’s accomplishments.”

Ivanka worked as an adviser in the White House when Mr Trump was president and played a prominent role in both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, most notably by speaking at key times during the Republican National Convention.

She was often credited with softening her father’s image, or at least trying to. This time, in her absence, his campaign has had an even harder edge.

One of the images Ivanka shared on Instagram.

Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, was seen chatting with Prince William at a royal wedding in Jordan at the start of this month. Picture: Instagram/Twitter

Mr Trump was arraigned in Miami on Tuesday over his alleged illegal retention of sensitive national security documents after leaving office.

He pleaded not guilty to 37 charges: 31 counts of wilful retention of national defence information, and one count each of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and making false statements and representations.

“Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country,” he said in a subsequent speech.

“They ought to drop this case immediately, because they’re destroying the country. I had every right to have these documents. I did everything right and they indicted me.”

Prosecutors allege Mr Trump took sensitive documents, which belonged to the government, not him, and stored them at his residences in Florida and New Jersey. It further alleges that he failed to return the documents when repeatedly asked, showed some of them to people who lacked the necessary security clearances, defied a subpoena, and lied to investigators, falsely claiming he had in fact returned all the relevant material.

An FBI raid of his Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, late last year allegedly uncovered multiple boxes full of such material, including information about US nuclear capabilities.

“The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defence and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; US nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the US and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack,” the indictment against him reads.

“The unauthorised disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the US military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods.”

Mr Trump maintains he did nothing wrong.