Former US President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday that his criminal trial and subsequent conviction had been “very difficult” for his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump.
During the six-week trial in Manhattan, several of the former president’s family members were present, but Melania Trump did not make an appearance. On May 30, he was convicted of falsifying business records in a payment scheme aimed at covering up charges against him during the 2016 election.
In an interview aired on Fox News on Sunday, President Trump stated that he was “fine” after the conviction but that it was “very difficult” for Melania Trump. “This is tougher for them, I think, maybe in many ways, for my family than for me,” he said. When asked about Mrs. Trump’s well-being, he responded, “She’s doing well, but I think it’s very tough on her. I mean, she’s doing well. But, you know, she has to hear these nonsense.”
Former First Lady Melania has not publicly commented on President Trump’s recent conviction. Some of his family members, including sons Eric and Donald Jr., have criticized the trial.
Earlier this month, President Trump and former First Lady attended their son Barron’s graduation ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida. Judge Juan Merchan allowed him to take a day off during the trial to attend his son’s graduation.
The court ordered Trump to be released on his own recognizance, with a court appearance scheduled for July 11 for sentencing. This falls about four days before the start of the Republican National Convention, where he may be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. Winning the November election would not be hindered by any imprisonment. He won’t be jailed before sentencing.
After two days of deliberation, the jury comprised of New Yorkers found Trump guilty of falsifying documents in the final days of his successful 2016 campaign to cover payments to Stormy Daniels. The former president pleaded not guilty, denying the extramarital affair accusations and claiming the payments were standard legal fees.
In New York, falsifying commercial documents is typically a misdemeanor, but the district attorney’s office upgraded the charges to felonies, alleging Trump hid “illegal campaign contributions.” Trump was not charged with any crimes related to alleged illegal campaign contributions.
At a press conference the day after the trial’s conclusion, Trump vowed to appeal the verdict and criticized Judge Merchan as well as the Manhattan District Attorney’s office that brought the lawsuit against him. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” he said. “It’s a hoax, it’s a manipulated trial…it’s a manipulated judge.” Due to Judge Merchan’s gag order, Trump claimed he still couldn’t respond to certain witnesses.
Regarding the core accusation in the case – a claim by adult film star Daniels of a extramarital affair in 2006, Trump stated, “Nothing happened…they all know it.” “This is unrelated to the case but related to politics,” referring to Daniels’ testimony.
In response to Trump’s speech, the Biden campaign team stated, “This person cannot become the President of the United States.” Michael Tyler, Communications Director for the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign team, said in a statement.
(Contributions to this report were made by Reuters)