Flashback: Melania Trump Responds After Rumors of Marital Problems Surface
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re re-posting it here in case you missed it.
First lady Melania Trump is pushing back against headlines claiming that she’s having marital problems with President Donald Trump following reports of his alleged adulterous relationship with an adult film star over a decade ago.
Numerous outlets have reported in recent days that she has left the White House and is residing in a “posh D.C. hotel.” Claims also include that she has removed herself from the president’s schedule in order to be away from him.
A spokesperson for Mrs. Trump took to social media to refer to the rumors as “salacious” and “false reporting” by tabloids.
“BREAKING:The laundry list of salacious & flat-out false reporting about Mrs. Trump by tabloid publications & TV shows has seeped into ‘main stream media’ reporting,” Stephanie Grisham wrote on Twitter Friday. “She is focused on her family & role as FLOTUS – not the unrealistic scenarios being peddled daily by the fake news.”
In addition, Melania Trump will be on hand to support her husband during his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, The New York Times reported Monday.
Media speculation into her marriage began when the Wall Street Journal earlier this month broke the story on a $130,000 payout made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, as part of an agreement to not discuss a sexual encounter she had with Trump back in 2006.
The payment was arranged by an attorney for Trump and was made a month before the 2016 election.
However, the non-disclosure agreement proved quite meaningless given that Daniels had already offered an in-depth interview to In Touch Weekly in 2011, offering personal details about her encounter with the man who was elected U.S. president several years later.
In Touch republished their story in light of the revelations.
In her interview, Daniels discussed intimate details of her time with Trump in 2006, who had been married to his current wife since 2005 and was carrying their newborn son, Barron.
Bound by a non-disclosure agreement, Daniels has walked a fine line between not breaking her contract while simultaneously capitalizing off the rush of media interest in her career.
Amid her first television interview since the story broke, Daniels was tight-lipped about her relationship with the current president. The adult actress simply smiled when directly asked if she had intercourse with Trump.
At the same time, Daniels has used her newfound publicity to launch her “Making America Horny Again” tour where she has enjoyed a whole new base of fans, according to the New York Post. Also, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel will be interviewing Daniels on Tuesday, the same night as Trump delivers his first State of the Union address.
Melania Trump had prepared to accompany Trump during his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, but plans were suddenly changed due to “scheduling and logistical issues.”
The change in schedule was made on Jan. 22, the couple’s 13th wedding anniversary.
The embarrassing headlines have been a lingering headache for the First Lady.
Her spokesperson’s backlash followed a U.K. Daily Mail report that she has been spending nights at a D.C. hotel away from the president.
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