Donald Trump Gave a Pretty Honest Answer About Melania’s Feelings After His Conviction

Melania Trump hasn’t given a public statement about Donald Trump‘s 34-count conviction in his hush-money case, but the former president gave insight into their relationship after the verdict was read. The uncomfortable nature of the testimony alone, which included his alleged affair with adult star Stormy Daniels, is a clue to how the former first lady is doing.

Donald Trump sat for an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw on Dr. Phil Primetime, and the talk show host certainly wasn’t going to let the opportune moment to ask about Melania pass him by. Dr. Phil asked the former president how Melania was “holding up through all of this.” That’s when the former president gave a surprisingly honest response to how his wife feels about the situation — and a lot of people can probably relate to Melania’s predicament, unfortunately.

“I think good, but I don’t think it’s an easy thing for her. And I think if it wasn’t good, she wouldn’t want to tell me about it, to be honest with you,” Donald Trump admitted. Women often put up a brave front when things aren’t going well in their personal lives, and they often hide it from their loved ones while they tackle difficult emotions. It might be the most insightful statement from the former president about the state of his marriage.

However, that hint of raw emotion was quickly spun into an election spiel — we knew it wouldn’t last very long. “Because, you know, she sees that I’m fighting like hell. I’m trying to become president and make America great again,” he added. “That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to make America great again.”

Even though Melania’s first sighting last week after the conviction sent a very unbothered message, her former aide explained what she’s all about behind the scenes. “What you see is what you get. It is a facade of calm. Melania Trump isn’t an enigma or a mystery. She is simply self-possessed, stoically guarded, and emotionally armored. Why? To avoid exposure,” Wolkoff wrote in a personal essay for The Daily Beast. “To protect her cultivated image and respectable persona, she stays out of the spotlight by maintaining a low profile by choice—her silence is her suit of armor.”

The public will never likely hear her opinion about her husband’s legal battles, but Donald Trump is telling everyone that it’s not easy being married to him.

Before you go, click here to see the best presidential love stories in U.S. history.