Melania Trump ‘lives in an ivory tower of denial,’ said former friend

A close friend of the former first lady says Melania Trump’s absence at Mar-a-Lago and silence about her husband’s criminal charges speaks volumes.

Melania Trump “lives in an ivory tower of denial,” said a friend of the former first lady – who was absent as her husband made his first public comments after becoming the first commander-in-chief in US history to be arraigned on criminal charges.

Former president Donald Trump delivered a defiant speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday, local time, following the arraignment where he thanked his family for their support, Page Six reports.

But Melania, 52, was nowhere to be seen as Mr Trump decried the charges stemming from payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about purported extramarital affairs.

Melania’s silence is her ‘weapon of choice’ according to a former close friend, after she skipped Donald’s Mar-a-Lago speech on Tuesday. Picture: Alex Edelman/AFP

Former Melania aide and best friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff – who previously revealed the former first lady privately referred to Daniels as “the porn hooker” – told Page Six, “Melania lives in an ivory tower of denial.”

Ms Wolkoff, a former senior Vogue staffer who was Melania’s advisor until 2018, said she “never expected to see” the former first lady at the Mar-a-Lago ballroom.

“Her silence is deliberate, it is her weapon of choice and her protective armour,” she told Page Six.

“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.”

But that doesn’t mean she’s going anywhere.

“Still she isn’t leaving him,” Ms Wolkoff added. “This is a transactional marriage, she knew what she was getting into when she married Donald. Her means of survival is to just act like it never happened.

“Privately, Melania says people are just jealous, and she hoped the Stormy Daniels scandal would be swept under the carpet. Her way of coping is to never let her feelings show or affect her. I predict we will see her back at his side at the next social event at Mar-a-Lago.”

Melania was beside her husband when he officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign at their Mar-a-Lago home. Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP.

Ms Wolkoff told the publication Melania would go to great lengths to avoid situations where she might be quizzed by the media about her husband.

“Melania believes she doesn’t have to answer or explain herself to anyone, so she’s not going to put herself in that position,” Ms Wolkoff said.

Ms Wolkoff also writes in her tell-all memoir, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, about how she always knew how “impenetrable and unflappable she was, but it wasn’t until after hearing the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape or about the affairs, I had no idea of her grit”.

“Not many people could bear having their lives ripped open and all their regretful, hateful, humiliating moments splayed out for the world to see and judge,” she wrote, Page Six reports.

“Melania and Donald, a perfect match, could tolerate any amount of ridicule and flick it aside. “I always interpreted that as her resigning herself to an unconventional marriage or household and having no expectations of Donald as a faithful husband or doting father.”

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff wrote a tell-all book about Melania Trump Picture: Kena Betancur/AFP

Ms Wolkoff and Melania, who met in 2003 in Manhattan, ended their friendship in 2018 following a bitter dust-up over the $26 million that Ms Wolkoff’s company was paid to help plan the Trump inauguration.

Ms Wolkoff has insisted she was “thrown under the bus” by the former first lady.

Melania was last seen with her husband last week, when the two were spotted dining at Mar-a-Lago not long after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict him.

Mr Trump is facing 34 charges of falsifying business records.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump delivered his prime-time post-arrest message surrounded by family including sons Don Jr. and Eric Trump, plus daughter Tiffany Trump. Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner were in Wyoming to celebrate Passover.

Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle attended the speech. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP.

Tiffany Trump attended with her husband Michael Boulos. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP

Mr Trump, 76, told around 400 supporters at his Palm Beach, residence and club: “I have a great family and they’ve done a fantastic job and we appreciate it very much. They’ve gone through a lot.

“I have a son here (Don Jr.) who has done a great job, another son here [Eric] who has done a great job, and Ivanka,” added Mr Trump.

“And Barron will be great some day,” the former president went on, mentioning his teenage son with third wife Melania. “He is tall and he is smart.”

But the former first lady was not mentioned nor singled out for praise.

Oddly, her father, Viktor Knavs, was present for the speech and sat between the former president’s two sons.

Pundits say Melania Trump’s absence from her husband’s Mar-a-Lago speech is significant. Picture: Alex Edelman/AFP

The Post reported that Michael LaRosa, a former spokesman for first lady Jill Biden, suggested on Twitter that Melania’s absence from her husband’s speech was significant.

“Prior to Trump appearing in the doorway, I held my breath, awaiting to see if the former first lady would be by his side, clasping his hand, and showing unconditional love and support,” Mr LaRosa said. “There would have been so much power in that picture.”

A rep for Mr Trump didn’t comment and Melania’s rep didn’t get back to Page Six.

This article originally appeared on Page Sixand was reproduced with permission