As twice-impeached former president Donald Trump potentially faces imminent indictment over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels in 2016, Joy Behar wondered during Wednesday’s episode of “The View” why Melania Trump is still married to the man. Host Sara Haines thinks there might be financial reasons behind it.
The question came up as part of the women’s discussion about how Trump’s legal team is spinning Trump’s involvement with the money sent to Daniels, with the claim that he paid her to keep quiet about their affair in order to protect his family and marriage.
“It’s not directly related to the campaign,” Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said on “Good Morning America” Monday. “He made this with personal funds to prevent something coming out [that was] false but embarrassing to himself, his family, his young son.”
But, as host Sunny Hostin noted, Melania Trump’s former best friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff tweeted on Tuesday that this defense “WON’T WORK” because “Melania knew” about the affair. So, Hostin was a bit baffled.
“I don’t think Melania wants anything to do with the man,” Hostin said. “I really don’t.”
As the discussion continued, and her co-hosts largely agreed, host Joy Behar eventually wondered aloud why Melania is even still married to the twice-impeached former president, with plenty of divorces in his past.
“I’m sure she gets — never mind,” Sara Haines chimed in. But, Behar encouraged Haines to keep going, so she did.
“There could be monies in exchange, deals made, arrangements,” Haines said.
When Hostin cautioned her to add the word “allegedly” to that implication — which, to be clear, is that Melania Trump is staying married to the former president as part of an ongoing arranged marriage that she’s cashing in on — Haines did just that.
“Allegedly. I said allegedly!” she said to someone off camera, presumably the show’s executive producer Brian Teta, before collapsing on the desk in embarrassment when Hostin added: “See? Now I have a legal note!”