Melania Trump Disappeared From Public Eye After Being 'Betrayed By Her Staff,' Insider Claims

Melania Trump has largely stayed out of the spotlight since leaving the White House partly because of the "hurt" she feels over her staff's alleged betrayal, a report has claimed.

Melania has remained absent from her husband Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign well into the election year, having lost her mother in January and being busy taking care of her son, Barron Trump.

However, an unnamed insider recently claimed to The Times U.K. that the former first lady's experience at the White House might be partly to blame for her reluctance to play a more active role in Trump's reelection campaign.

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"When you look back, Melania was betrayed by her staff," the source claimed.

"Nowadays, she is less in view except under very controlled circumstances. She has dinner at Mar-a-Lago but doesn't mingle and hobnob with people like he does. It's a safe zone for him. She doesn't view it as a safe zone."

After two of her former aides, Stephanie Grisham and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, released tell-all books criticizing her, Melania allegedly felt "burnt" by the political world, according to the source.

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Melania also allegedly felt "hurt" after "she tried but was attacked" over her shoes, hair and other aspects when she was first lady.

"The microscope is so intense. The sunglasses she wears all the time are her shield," the insider claimed.

The former president has repeatedly said that his wife will eventually join him on the campaign trail.

During a town hall with Fox News' Laura Ingraham in February, Trump said that Melania was a "private person" focused on their family but that she would be "out a lot" in the coming months because she "loves the country."

Last month, Melania appeared to tease her return when she told a reporter to "stay tuned" after being asked if she plans to make appearances at future campaign events.

However, an unnamed source close to the Trump campaign told CNN last week that Melania was still weighing "how much or how little she will be campaigning."

Many have offered potential explanations for Melania's absence from her husband's campaign.

According to Melania's former chief of staff, the ex-FLOTUS allegedly has a different approach from other first ladies and does not feel the need to be by Trump's side when he's campaigning.

"Melania has said, 'I don't need to stand by Donald like Jill Biden; it is like she's holding Joe Biden up,'" Grisham told CNN. "She is very much not going to do the Hillary Clinton 'stand by your man' thing."

On the other hand, political expert Grant Reeher earlier suggested to The Mirror that Melania might have become "less enthusiastic" about taking on the role of first lady again and could be trying to shield Barron from his father's ongoing legal woes by keeping herself and her son away from the spotlight.

Meanwhile, an unnamed social and political source recently told People that Melania might have opted to stay out of campaign rallies because she "dislikes a petting zoo."

According to the source, Melania is "more comfortable" accompanying her husband to events such as the dinner Trump hosted for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán last month and the Trumpettes gala held in honor of the ex-president at Mar-a-Lago in February.

Melania is also focused on helping her now-18-year-old son look at colleges as Barron prepares for his high school graduation, a second unnamed source told the outlet.

"Melania is all about Barron and her family," the insider explained. "She has always been family-oriented, and in addition to some of the charity work she has done, staying ahead of family issues is her priority."