Todd Blanche, who led Donald Trump’s defense in the hush money case, said Melania Trump’s absence from the criminal trial was not for a “lack of love and support” for her husband.
During a recent appearance on the “For the Defense” podcast, Blanche was asked about the former first lady’s absence, and whether there had been discussions about how that might appear to a jury.
“That wasn’t a discussion that I wanted to have,” Blanche said. “I mean, you know ... their son was finishing school in Florida, and I don’t think that the lack of presence should be interpreted as a lack of love and support. It’s just a lack of presence.”
“This was a tough case because of the nature of the charges,” he added. “The evidence that came in, the history.”
Earlier in the conversation, Blanche said it was “priceless” that Donald Trump had a good support network during the proceedings.
“He had friends that showed up. Every day his family was there, every day. Some didn’t come to court, they would just stay at his house and be there in the morning when we got there and be there when he got home at night,” he said.
There was much speculation during the trial about Melania Trump’s absence from the courtroom.
His son Eric Trump was the only family member to regularly attend the proceedings. His children Donald Trump Jr. and Tiffany Trump joined Eric Trump when closing arguments took place last week.
The trial featured testimony from Stormy Daniels, a porn star who claims she had a sexual encounter with the former president in the summer of 2006, months after Melania Trump gave birth to their son Barron.
Stephanie Grisham, a former aide to both Melania and Donald Trump, said last week that she believes Melania Trump was thinking of her “optics” by declining to appear.
“In her mind, I think she would think she was caving or even look weak to suddenly show up now,” she said on CNN.
Donald Trump was found guilty Thursday on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up payments to Daniels to buy her silence about the alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election.
In an interview on Fox News over the weekend, Trump said his wife is doing “fine, but I think it’s very hard for her” after the verdict.
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