The closing arguments on Donald Trump‘s hush money trial are expected to begin on Tuesday, May 28, but there’s one thing that is still weighing down the former president’s legal issues. While Eric and Donald Trump Jr. have been spotted supporting their father in the courtroom, Melania Trumphas been absent — and we don’t blame her.
Much of the testimony in the trial revolves around his alleged affair with adult star Stormy Daniels and the $130,000 he had former lawyer Michael Cohen pay to buy her silence ahead of the 2016 presidential election. There’s no reason for Melania to be listening to the details of how her husband reportedly stepped out on their marriage, but at least one legal expert is telling the Daily Mail that might have been a strategic mistake.
It seems that there are often psychological factors in how a jury votes, in addition to the evidence presented by the defense and prosecuting attorneys. “Generally speaking, jurors pay attention to who is seated in the courtroom,” Anna Cominsky, Managing Attorney of New York Law School Legal Services, told the U.K. outlet. “Defense attorneys usually like to have ‘support’ for their client evidenced by friends and family – it’s something that humanizes the client. That said, this is a very different case. The jurors know that this is the former president.”
However, Cornell law professor Randy Zelin thinks that if Melania had shown up to support Donald Trump “it would look contrived” and likely be labeled a dramatic political stunt. National Review Online journalist John Fund told GB News that the former first lady continues to be a “supportive spouse, but I think the last thing she wants is to stir up more media coverage by attending the trial or by engaging in some blatantly public show of support.” She may not be “pleased” about the details, but Fund believes “she’s used to a lot worse.“
She knows Donald Trump hasn’t changed in the two decades they’ve been married, but she’s in it for the long haul. “Melania married Donald Trump over 20 years ago. She was prepared for everything, and she knew who she was marrying. So, it’s a package,” he summed up. “And I think that as much as she would like to avoid being in the public spotlight, she knew this was going to be in the public spotlight so long as he was.”
Donald Trump’s legal team will find out if their courtroom strategy worked soon, but no matter what, Melania has avoided the spotlight in a mess that is not her own.
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