CNN’s Jeff Zeleny Suggests Melania Hiding Out From ‘Uncomfortable’ Stormy Daniels Hush Money Case

CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny suggested former First Lady Melania Trump is avoiding the limelight and former President Donald Trump’s campaign trail because of the looming Stormy Daniels hush money trial.

Trump was in court this week for a hearing in the case, which resulted in Judge Juan Merchan denying Trump’s attempt to delay a trial in the several-dozen-count indictment of the former president.

On Friday afternoon’s edition of CNN’s Inside Politics, host Dana Bash gingerly brought up new reporting on Melania’s absence in Trump’s campaign, but Zeleny went there — then wondered if the media would go as easy if First Lady Dr. Jill Biden did the same:

DANA BASH: One person who we have not seen very much of at all until recently, when Trump went to vote in the Republican primary in Florida, is his wife, Melania Trump. And our colleague Sunlen Surfaty has another great piece on cnn.com about where she is. Here’s what’s on the reports.

“She’ll definitely have a role. But in terms of what it is, I don’t know. A source close to the Trump campaign said it’s her decision on how much or how little she will be campaigning. She is very selective and methodical in what she wants to do and how she presents herself.”.

As I bring you in to talk about this, our team found, a nugget of sorts, and this is an interview that Trump did with Megyn Kelly back in September of 2023.

DONALD TRUMP: Well, I think part of the beauty is that mystery. She is a much more you know, she’s introspective and she’s confident. She doesn’t need to be interviewed by you to get ripped apart for no reason. She doesn’t need to be out there.

JACKIE KUCINICH: I mean, it’s an unconventional campaign and this is another part of it, but it’s been I mean, this is how, Melania Trump was as first lady, right? She did what she wanted. She showed up when she wanted. She was out there when she wanted. And it doesn’t seem like anything has changed going into the second campaign.

JEFF ZELENY: And we’re about to have a very uncomfortable, a case from the early stages of their marriage, the Stormy Daniels case, which she has talked privately about as being very, you know, a very painful moment. So you have to wonder if that is part of it as well, staying out of the limelight as that case goes through.

But at the end of the day, I’m not sure this matters electorally if she was out campaigning or not. But you do wonder if the shoe was on the other foot, if another spouse was not out, if Michelle Obama had not been out, if Jill Biden is not, I think there would be some questions here. But, as you said, unconventional.

Watch above via CNN’s Inside Politics.