Melania Trump absent from husband's arraignments, campaign events

Former President Donald Trump has been forced to quietly sit in a courtroom alone twice in recent weeks.

As Trump sits and listens to charges leveled against him, he does not have his wife, Melania, by his side.

"Trump gave himself up to US Marshals in Miami on Tuesday to be arraigned on a slew of federal charges over his alleged mishandling of government secrets since leaving the White House," AFP reported.

Melania has been nowhere to be seen as Trump makes his appearances, and her absence has caused concern among Trump-watchers.

Melania has not even released a supportive statement about her husband.

"Americans are used to seeing political wives literally standing by their men in times of scandal and crisis," said Katherine Jellison, an Ohio University history professor who specializes in US first ladies.

"So Melania's physical absence during her husband's recent public appearances is particularly noticeable," Jellison noted.

Melania was pictured leaving Trump Tower as he was flying from his summer home in New Jersey to Florida one day before. Melania made her way to various appointments in Manhattan, always surrounded by her Secret Service detail.

The former first lady was also absent in April when Trump was processed in a Manhattan court.

Melania also skipped Trump's fiery post-arraignment speech back at their Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida. Notably, Mrs. Trump lives at the Mar-a-Lago home but still did not attend the speech. Her father, however, took a place in the front row.

"Trump paid tribute to his family but didn't mention his wife, reheating speculation over the couple's 'transactional' marriage raised in 2020 by ex-Vogue magazine executive and former Melania confidante Stephanie Winston Wolkoff," reported the outlet.