Melania Trump missing from Donald Trump’s speech at Mar-a-Lago

Donald Trump fought back after being slapped with 34 charges - but there was a notable absence as he spoke at Mar-a-Lago.

Former first lady Melania Trump was noticeably absent from Mar-a-Lago’s ballroom night as her husband, former President Donald Trump, made his first public comments hours after becoming the first commander-in-chief in US history to be arraigned on criminal charges.

“I have a great family and they’ve done a fantastic job and we appreciate it very much. They’ve gone through a lot,” the 76-year-old told around 400 supporters at his residence and club in Palm Beach, Florida.

“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 Trump, referring to three of his four adult children.

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

Former US president Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

The former first lady was not singled out for praise.

While Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany Trump attended their dad’s speech with their significant others, Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner were in Wyoming to celebrate Passover — a trip they’ve made in past years, a source told the New York Post.

The Jewish holiday begins at sundown on Wednesday.

Ivanka, who saw her father in person on Sunday, and Kushner are “supporting [Trump] as family members in private,” a person familiar with their whereabouts said.

Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller did not immediately respond to the New York Post’s request for information on the former first lady’s whereabouts over the past couple of days after the former president travelled to New York Monday for his Tuesday arraignment without her.

When asked by the New York Post where Melania was Tuesday night, MyPillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell, who was among the “grassroots” supporters at the event, answered: “I don’t know, I’m gonna go find out.”

Melania Trump. (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN / AFP)

Mr Lindell then proceeded to walk out of the ballroom through the same exits Trump and other guests used.

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.”

Melania Trump, 52, was last seen with the former president last week, when the two were spotted dining at Mar-a-Lago not long after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict him.

Donald Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 election so they would keep quiet about purported extramarital affairs with the real estate mogul.

This story was originally published by the New York Post and was reproduced with permission