Melania and Donald Trump Travel Hand-in-Hand As His Alleged Ex-Mistress Prepares to Tell All
March 20, 2018President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump did their best to show a united front as his scandal surrounding porn star Stormy Daniels continued to brew.
The couple flew to New Hampshire together Monday afternoon to speak about the opioid crisis and walked to Marine One with their arms around each other’s waists.
While speaking at the Manchester Community College in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump, 71, shared a few nice words for his wife, 47, according to a White House pool report.
“Thank you to our First Lady, Melania, who has been so incredible. Thank you. And we are blessed to have you as our First Lady. Really are,” the president reportedly said.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump
Melania introduced her husband at the event, but seemingly refrained from praising him in her remarks.
“Thank you to the Manchester Community College for having us today,” she said, according to the pool report. “And now, I would like to introduce my husband, President Donald Trump.”
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the Manchester Community College
During their return to the White House that same evening, Trump and Melania stepped off of the plane holding hands.
Their appearance together comes as Trump’s lawyer threatened to sue Daniels for allegedly violating a nondisclosure agreement 20 times, according to The Washington Post.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with their arms around each other heading toward Marine One
Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal attorney, claimed he had the right to sue Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — for $20 million in damages in court documents filed Friday, according to the newspaper.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels a month before the 2016 election so she’d keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump in July 2006 — less than four months after Trump’s wife, Melania, gave birth to their son, Barron, now 11.
Cohen and the White House have denied the allegation of an affair, with a Trump official telling the Wall Street Journal in January: “These are old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election.”
Cohen initially denied paying Daniels, but later admitted to it calling it a “private transaction” and said it didn’t violate any campaign finance laws. A recent Wall Street Journal report said Cohen later complained to friends that he hadn’t been reimbursed for the payment.
Daniels is still fighting to tell her story. The New York Times reported this month that Daniels’ lawyer sent a letter to Cohen offering to return the $130,000 payment in exchange for dissolving a so-called “hush agreement.”
She is set to appear on 60 Minutes this Sunday with contributor Anderson Cooper.