View gallery
Not quite a full family Affair! After former President Donald Trump, 76, surrendered himself to be arraigned in New York City on Apr. 4, he went down to his Mar-a-Lago resort and delivered a post-arrest speech. Some of his family members like his daughter Tiffany Trump, 29, and son, Donald Trump Jr., 45, were there, however, his wife, Melania Trump, 52, was not. Not only did the former model skip the speech, but Melania and Trump’s son, Barron, 17, also opted out of attending. The 76-year-old surrendered himself in New York City on Tues., in connection to his criminal trial for the alleged 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Other Trump family members not at the Mar-a-Lago gathering included his daughter Ivanka Trump, 41, and her husband, Jared Kushner, 42. His son, Eric Trump, 39, was by his father’s side in New York City during the arraignment, however, it is not known if he attended the speech in Florida. Prior to Trump’s arrest in the Big Apple on Tuesday, a source close to Melania told PEOPLE that she will “support him” throughout this process. “They weren’t expecting [the indictment], but Melania will support him,” the outlet’s insider said. “That’s what she does. They are a family.” The outlet also reported that the 52-year-old likely stayed back at Mar-a-Lago during his arraignment.
Trump openly denied that he and Stormy had an affair and pleaded “not guilty” to the 34 charges brought against him in court. One of the charges in the newly unsealed paperwork (see here) included “FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN THE FIRST DEGREE.” Ahead of his speech, Trump was processed and had his fingerprints taken, per ABC News. Following his arraignment, he went back to Mar-a-Lago and delivered a speech to his supporters around 8.35 PM EST.
“They can’t beat us at the ballot box, so they try to beat us through the law,” he reportedly said, via NBC News on Tuesday night. “We are a nation in decline, and now these radical left lunatics want to interfere in elections by using law enforcement.” He speech continued, “We can’t let that happen.” He reportedly only addressed the crowd for just under 30 minutes before he concluded the speech by confirming that he will “make America great again.”
“With all of this being said, and with a very dark cloud over our beloved country, I have no doubt nevertheless we will make America great again,” Trump went on, before ending the speech. “The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.” As many know, Trump announced he would run in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election in Nov. 2022.
Click to Subscribe to Get Our Free HollywoodLife Daily Newsletter to get the hottest celeb news.