Melania Trump hits back at Page Six and People over anonymous sourcing and 'assumptions' about her marriage to Donald Trump
- Melania Trump is pushing back on reports about how she's processing her husband's indictment.
- Her office issued a statement saying readers should be wary of stories citing anonymous sources.
Former first lady Melania Trump isn't yet telling her side of the story over her husband's rumored affairs and alleged hush-money payments that resulted in the first-ever indictment of a former president.
But she made it clear on Tuesday that she doesn't appreciate anonymous sources speaking on her behalf.
"News organizations have made assumptions about the former First Lady's stance on subjects that are personal, professional, and political over the past few weeks," her office said in a statement released to Twitter. "In these articles, unnamed sources are cited to bolster the author's claims.
"We ask readers to exercise caution and good judgment when determining whether or not stories concerning the former First Lady are accurate, particularly when they fail to cite Mrs. Trump as a source of information."
The former first lady, 52, didn't specify which stories she has taken issue with in recent days. The statement also did not reveal her state of mind over her husband's alleged infidelity or the public scrutiny of their 18-year marriage.
But several stories have hit newsstands. For instance, People Magazine published a story Monday, citing anonymous sources, that said Melania Trump did not plan to get involved in her husband's 2024 campaign. The source said doing so would be uncomfortable for her, and she preferred to remain out of the spotlight to focus on their son, Barron.
The New York Post's Page Six separately reported that Melania Trump agreed to play a bigger part in her husband's 2024 campaign. The publication quoted an anonymous source recounting that Donald Trump pleaded with his wife to join him on the campaign, telling her, "I really need you."
The couple has been living most of the year at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and were last spotted dining together on Sunday, for Easter brunch, according to the New York Post. An anonymous source told the New York Post for that story that the Trumps' dining together was interpreted by guests as Melania Trump saying, "I stand by my husband."
Melania Trump posted a tweet on Easter Sunday, but had not posted on her account for more than a month as news of Donald Trump's indictment trickled out. She did not appear beside her husband at Mar-a-Lago on the day he was indicted, when he delivered a speech to a ballroom full of his supporters.
The Manhattan District attorney alleged that Trump orchestrated an unlawful scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election, accusing the former president of violating election laws and falsifying business records related to payments to guarantee the silence of two women who allege they had affairs with him.
One of the women was Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who said she received $130,000 for her silence.
Trump, 76, pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records, and has denied having the affairs. A trial date in the case hasn't been set yet, but the next hearing is set for December 4.
Ivanka Trump was also notably absent from the Mar-a-Lago event on April 4, though his other children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump, and Baron Trump attended, as did Viktor Knavs, Melania Trump's father.
Melania Trump is a former supermodel who was unconventional as first lady, remaining in New York over a move to the White House for months after her husband became president so that their son could finish out the school year. In her formal role, she launched the "Be Best" initiative focused on childhood mental health, online bullying, and opioid addiction.