Everything Melania Trump's Said About Stormy Daniels

  • Melania Trump, the wife of former President Donald Trump, has not commented on her husband's alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
  • Clifford told Good Morning Britain on Friday that the former first lady's silence "speaks volumes" about how she feels about her husband's indictment.
  • When the hush money payments allegedly made to Clifford were first reported, Melania said the allegations were "not a concern and focus of mine."

As the indictment of former President Donald Trump continues to unravel in front of the public eye, many have speculated about how his wife, Melania Trump, is handling the news about her husband's alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

On Tuesday, the former president was arraigned in a Manhattan court in relation to the criminal charges he is facing as part of the investigation into the $130,000 hush money payments he allegedly made to Stephanie Clifford, the real name of Stormy Daniels. The former president has pleaded "not guilty" to the 34 felony counts, has denied having an affair with Clifford and has accused prosecutors of going after him as part of a politically-motived "witch hunt."

When the former president addressed the matter from Mar-a-Lago that night, many observers noticed that while he thanked all his children by name, he did not mention his wife's name. She's also been notably absent from his recent public appearances, raising questions about how the former first lady may be handling the public scrutiny about her marriage.

"Perhaps her not speaking is her speaking," Clifford said about Melania in a Friday interview with Good Morning Britain. "Silence speaks volumes."

Although Melania hasn't commented on the alleged affair since her husband's indictment last month, she's addressed the matter before.

Everything Melania Trump's Said About Stormy Daniels
Left, first lady Melania Trump participate in an event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Right, Adult film actress Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford) exits the United... Tasos Katopodis/Getty; Drew Angerer/Getty

What has Melania said about Trump's alleged affair with Stormy Daniels?

2018: 'More Important Things To Think About'

When it was first reported in 2018 that Donald paid Clifford off a month before the 2016 election, Melania said she had "much more important things to think about and to do" aside from bothering herself with the allegations of her husband's infidelity.

"It is not concern and focus of mine," she told ABC's Good Morning America in October 2018. "I'm a mother and a first lady and I have much more important things to think about and to do. I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage and circulate the gossip."

Adding that she "believes her husband," she said, "I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true or not true."

2020: A 'Porn Hooker'

Two years later, Melania was heard referring to Clifford as a "porn hooker" in a tape recording released by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an ex-friend of the former first lady who later published a book titled Melania & Me.

Speaking about the 2020 Vogue photoshoot that Clifford shot, Melania is heard on the tape telling Wolkoff, "If you Google, go Google and read it, Annie Leibovitz shot the porn hooker, as she will be in one of the issues, September or October." When asked who the "porn hooker" was, Melania replied, "Stormy."

Stormy Daniels' Response

In response to the audio tapes, Clifford tweeted, "Hahaha! Although I wasn't paid for sex and therefore technically not a 'hooker' I'll take being that over what you are any day.

"You sold your p**** AND your soul...and I'm legal," she wrote in a subtweet at the former first lady. "Keep talking about me. I like your new tits btw. Post (more) nudes? #bebest lol."

On Friday, Clifford had another message for Melania.

"Call me if you need me to testify in your divorce proceedings," she told the former first lady.

Newsweek reached out to Clifford for additional comment.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more

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