Donald Trump’s first ladies Melania and Ivanka have abandoned him publicly
Team Trump is dwindling.
The inner sanctum of the former US President could now fit into a Toyota Corolla instead of his private jet, Trump Force One.
Family has been pivotal to his presidential and political life but while his staunchest supporters gathered outside a courtroom in Miami as he faced fresh charges, his wife, Melania, was not by his side.
She was also nowhere near the Versailles Bakery – a popular eatery of Cuba Americans in Florida who are strong Republican supporters. A venue he visited before heading to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, for a planned speaking event after his latest court hearing.
The latest Mrs Trump is reportedly not keen on a second White House lease or returning to the East Wing.
As The Times of London reported: “The former First Lady had appointments on Monday including a visit to a hair salon.”
While supporters crammed inside and lined the streets to serenade him with Happy Birthday on the eve of his 77th birthday, his daughter Ivanka Trump – a prominent Adviser during his tenure as President and now Miami local – was also nowhere to be seen.
Trump Supporters sing “Happy Birthday†to him at the Versailles Bakery.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 13, 2023
pic.twitter.com/4Y27MngVWs
His children, and their spouses and partners, have been long standing, fiercely loyal supporters.
As Trump faced 37 federal charges – the first ever former US President to do so – his son, Donald Trump Jr, posted online about a “witch hunt” of his dad and plugged a new book, Letters to Trump, as the perfect “Father’s Day gift”.
Eric and his wife, Lara Trump, were on hand in New Jersey for moral support and earned a shout out from Donald.
The former President was unusually paternal in his latest address. In between alleging Joe Biden and the Clintons are criminals and thumbing his nose at the “deep state”, he labelled the prosecutor in his federal indictment Jack Smith as a “deranged lunatic”.
“What these thugs have done to my family is a disgrace. What they did to my family and that young man right there, he’s answered more subpoenas than anyone in the world and they have nothing. Literally thousands of them. Congress, fake councils, the Mueller report, all he does is answer subpoenas all of the time, but at least he’s become very good at it. But Eric is fantastic and what he and Donald and Ivanka and the whole group what they’ve gone through, and these are serious people, but what he and they have done to my family is horrible,” Mr Trump said.
Ivanka has previously distanced herself from Trump’s second tilt at the presidency in order to focus on her private life and family.
Over the weekend her daughter Arabella celebrated her bat mitzvah without her famous grandfather.
Ivanka shared a wide selection of photographs from the glittering affair including intimate shots with her husband Jared Kushner’s family, her nieces, nephews, brothers and half-sister, Tiffany Trump.
Donald and Melania were not present, instead the family had a small “birthday dinner” at Trump’s Mar-a-logo estate a few weeks ago.
“It was very special. We love you both so much!” Ivanka posted on Instagram on Tuesday, just hours before her father was fingerprinted and faced court downtown before jetting off to New York to face the media.
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