Melania Trump arrived separately to her husband, President Donald Trump, at his State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 30, after reports of his cheating with porn star Stormy Daniels.
CNN reported that the first lady broke with a longstanding tradition by opting to ride with the guests she invited to share her box during her husband’s speech.
The couple, who have not been seen publicly together since New Year’s Eve, traveled in separate cars for the short ride from the White House to the Capitol building.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN that the former model arrived separately for “no reason other than she can greet the guests and he can go straight in.”
During their eight-year presidencies, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, and George and Laura Bush walked together to the same limo for the drive to the Capitol for the State of the Union address. In February 2017, the former reality TV star and his wife rode in the same car for Trump’s first Joint Session of Congress.
A White House official told CNN that the Trumps will return to their residence later this evening in the same vehicle.
Melania wore a cream Dior pantsuit with a Dolce & Gabbana blouse for her husband’s speech and she trended on Twitter as her husband spoke on Tuesday, with several commenters tweeting that she looked miserable. “I’ve never seen a woman so visibly despise her husband the way Melania Trump looks tonight,” one wrote. Others simply commented that she looked “beautiful.”
Her appearance comes after she abruptly canceled a planned trip to Davos, Switzerland, with her husband amid allegations that he had an affair with adult actress Daniels in 2006, shortly after Melania gave birth to son Barron. She opted to travel to West Palm Beach, Florida, instead, and her change of plans added to speculation about a possible rift between the couple.
Daniels denied on Tuesday that she had an affair with Trump.
