Melania Trump Attends Husband's First State of the Union Amid Claims He Had Affair with Porn Star
Melania Trump was on hand at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday in a show of support for her husband during his first State of the Union address.
Breaking tradition, Mrs. Trump arrived separately from the president, opting to ride with her guests invited to the first lady’s box, according to CNN.
The appearance comes after the first lady abruptly canceled a planned trip to Davos, Switzerland, with President Trump last week amid allegations that he had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. The change of plans stirred further speculation about a possible rift between the first couple, especially after it was reported that the first lady traveled to West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday instead of Davos.
The New York Times reported that the first lady’s four-hour roundtrip flight to Mar-a-Lago cost taxpayers a pretty penny — approximately $64,600. Every time the first lady flies from Joint Base Andrews to Palm Beach International Airport on a C-32A plane it costs taxpayers an estimated $16,168 per hour, according to the Department of Defense, as reported by the Times.
The newspaper also said the first lady was “furious” over reports that her husband’s lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election to bar her from talking about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump.
The White House and Cohen have denied the president had an affair with Daniels, but declined to answer questions from the Wall Street Journal about an agreement with her, according to the newspaper.
At the State of the Union, the first lady was seated in a special gallery overlooking the floor of the House chamber where her husband addressed members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, his Cabinet secretaries and ticket-holding guests.
Joining Mrs. Trump in her reserved box seats were her and the presidents’ special guests, who included retired Marine Cpl. Matthew Bradford, who was blinded and lost his legs while deployed in Iraq; Celestino “CJ” Martinez, an Air Force veteran and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who, the White House says, is responsible for the arrests of more than 100 MS-13 gang members; and Ryan Holets, a police officer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was shot on duty; among several others.
“All of them represent the unbreakable American spirit and will inspire our country,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters at Monday’s briefing.
