Donald Trumpsent love to his family — except his wifeMelania Trump— during his first speech after his arraignment on Tuesday.
Trump delivered the message just hours after he was arraigned on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, following an investigation into an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film starStormy Danielswhile he was a presidential candidate in 2016. Theformer president pleaded not guiltyto the charges.
During his speech from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday night, Trump thanked his family for supporting him amid his legal battle.
“I have a son here who’s done a great job and I have another son here who’s done a great job; and Tiffany, and Ivanka,” Trump said in his speech, which aired on multiple media outlets. “And Baron will be great someday. He’s tall and smart. But I have a great family and they’ve done a fantastic job and we appreciate it very much.”
Donald Trump.Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty
He is father toDonald, Jr., 45,Eric, 39, andIvanka, 41, whom he shares with his first wifeIvana Trump. He also shares daughterTiffany, 29, with ex-wife Marla Maples, 59, and son Barron, 17, with Melania.
During the speech, Trump, 76, spoke at length about the charges, stating, “I never knew something like this could happen in America. The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those that seek to destroy it.”
His speech not only addressed the arraignment. He also spoke about previous accusations against him such asallegedly having Russia help him win the 2016 presidential campaign. He called outfederal agents for searching his Mar-a-Lago homefor nuclear documents and reiterated his claims thatelection fraud caused him to lose the 2020 raceto PresidentJoe Biden.
RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty to 34 Felony Counts as Details of Indictment Are Unsealed
“This is a persecution, not an investigation,” said Trump, adding that he’s spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” on the case. “But our heads are held high,” he said. “They want to settle the case, but I want no part of that. So here we are now.”
Melania, who has been married to Trump for almost 20 years, wasabsent from Trump’s historic arraignment. She also appeared to miss his speech.
Ahead of Trump’s official indictment, sources told PEOPLE that Melania, 52, iscontinuing on with her lifeat the couple’s Palm Beach home, despite the legal issues looming over her husband.
But that doesn’t mean she’s supportive of her husband’s role in the alleged hush money payment, which stems from arumored extramarital affairwith Daniels. The former porn star has claimed the affair took place less than four months after Melania gave birth toBarronin 2006.
“She remains angry and doesn’t want to hear [the alleged hush money payment] mentioned,” the source told PEOPLE. “She is aware of who her husband is and keeps her life upbeat with her own family and a few close friends.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
While Trump and his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen initially denied the claims of an affair, Cohen later admitted that there was a payment made to the porn star.
Calling it “a private transaction,” Cohen toldThe New York Timesthat he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket in 2016. He said Trump had not reimbursed him.
Trump has since admitted he authorized the $130,000 payment but has continued to deny the underlying claims that the two had an affair or that the payment was in any way connected to his campaign.
source: people.com
