Former U.S. President Donald Trump described his hush money criminal trial as "very hard" for his wife, Melania Trump. He said the trial was tougher on his family, particularly Melania, than it was on him.
Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.
Some social media users questioned Melania Trump's silence on the verdict and her absence during Trump's speech after the verdict.
Trump's former lawyer, Roy Cohn, advised him to "deny, deny, deny and hit back hard if attacked," a strategy that served him well in his career but backfired during his prosecution for accounting fraud in New York.
Ivanka and Melania are seen as getting away with a level of disloyalty that Trump does not permit from others, and they were absent from the trial, unlike Trump's sons who were present and supportive.
Melania Trump is reportedly unhappy about Donald Trump's guilty verdict but is maintaining her silence to "protect herself and her son Barron," and may appear in court for the sentencing.
Trump's defense team made questionable choices during the trial, potentially on his orders, and critics suggest that denying knowledge of the payments would have been a more effective defense.
Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, responded to the verdict on social media with strong statements.
Social media users have criticized Melania for her silence and absence during her husband's trial, and made jokes about her potential response to the verdict.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Newsweek, Trouw, Yahoo News