Donald Trump Verdict Was ‘Another Layer of Poison’ for Melania: ‘She’ll Probably Always Be Mad at Him’ (Exclusive)
Sources told PEOPLE last spring that Melania hoped her husband's criminal case would disappear. Now, the Stormy Daniels hush money scheme is an impossible subject for her to avoid
Joe Raedle/Getty
Donald and Melania Trump arrive for a New Year's event at Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 31, 2022Melania Trump was prepared for her husband, Donald Trump, to be convicted, sources tell PEOPLE — but at no point was she planning to attend his trial.
"She has been angry about this whole thing for a long time," a social source says of Donald's legal drama. "This [New York jury's] decision is another layer of poison for her."
Related: Is Donald Trump Going to Jail After Guilty Verdict? What to Know About Sentencing on July 11
Whether she'll attend her husband's July sentencing hearing — where he faces fines, probation or up to four years in prison — remains uncertain, though insiders are doubtful.
"There are certain times she has to show. This could be one of those, but it would not be her idea," the source says. "To stand by her man in a traditional first lady way, no."
Joe Raedle/Getty
Donald and Melania Trump prepare to vote in Florida's Republican primary at a Palm Beach polling station on March 19, 2024Similar to what sources have previously told PEOPLE when Donald has found himself in hot water, Melania is expected to stay as quiet about her husband's conviction as possible.
“Melania believes this is a political assassination, but she knows exactly who she married," the social source says, "and for this reason has chosen to stay away from media attention to protect herself and her son Barron."
Related: Melania Trump Will Always Choose Son Barron over Politics: 'She Dislikes a Petting Zoo' (Exclusive)
A political source agrees, adding, "I think it is very unlikely she will say much about this, unless the comment would be about a political witch hunt, which she definitely believes to be true."
"She will probably always be mad at him for many of the things he does," the political source continues, "but since she has carved out a life that does not include him all of the time, she is able to deal with it."
Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Donald Trump sits in a Manhattan courtroom during his criminal trial on May 21, 2024Donald was found guilty on Thursday, May 30, of 34 felony counts of falsified business records for aiming to conceal a hush money payment that was made to adult film star Stormy Daniels — who wanted to come forward with allegations of an affair — in the final days of the 2016 presidential election.
Prosecutors successfully argued that he mislabeled his financial records to bury a larger conspiracy to sway the election in his favor.
During the trial, Daniels took the witness stand to detail her alleged sexual encounter with Donald, which the former president continues to deny.
Under oath Daniels testified that in July 2006, shortly after Melania gave birth to Barron, Donald invited her up to his penthouse hotel room in Nevada. When she returned from the suite's bathroom, she testified, the Apprentice star was sitting in his bed in his boxer shorts.
Daniels told the court that Trump “didn’t come at me, he didn’t rush at me, he didn’t put his hands on me, nothing like that," but that he said something to the effect of, "I thought you were serious about what you wanted," insinuating that he could help propel her career beyond the porn industry. She claims that they then had sex without a condom.
Elizabeth Williams via AP
A courtroom sketch of Stormy Daniels testifying on May 7, 2024, about her alleged sexual encounter with Donald TrumpShortly before the Manhattan indictment dropped in the spring of 2023, sources told PEOPLE that Melania was tired of hearing about the hush money payment, saying she "wants to ignore it and hopes it will pass, but she doesn't sympathize with Donald's plight."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
More than a year later, after charges dropped, a six-week trial ensued, and a unanimous guilty verdict was handed down, little has changed.
“Melania is not dumb and not a doting wife,” the political source now tells PEOPLE. "She has opinions, but would rather not be involved with any of the legal issues, or frankly the politics of a presidential campaign. It’s not her style."
PEOPLE reached out to Melania's spokesperson for comment.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
