Stormy Daniels' New Advice for Melania Trump

Adult film star Stormy Daniels gave new advice to Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, on Sunday after the former president was found guilty in his criminal hush money trial.

In a case brought forward by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a New York jury on Thursday found Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush money payment made to Daniels by Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies. Trump has maintained his innocence and says the case is politically motivated. His legal team says they will fight the case, which will include an appeal, if necessary.

On Sunday, in an interview with the Mirror, Daniels whose real name is Stephanie Clifford called on the former first lady to leave her husband due to his guilty verdict.

"I don't know what their agreement may or may not be, but Melania needs to leave him. Not because of what he did with me or other women but because he is a convicted felon," Daniels said.

She added: "It's been proven he is abusive; he was found liable for sexual assault and tax fraud and is now a criminal. He's neither Teflon Don nor Teflon Con anymore."

Trump was ordered in January to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle columnist, for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. A separate jury last year awarded Carroll $5 million from Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and appealed the verdicts.

In addition, Trump and others associated with The Trump Organization were found liable in February over allegations that the former president inflated the value of his properties and his own net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans in a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump has maintained his innocence and is fighting the ruling through appeal.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email and Melania via online form for comment.

Daniels' comments come after several of Trump's family members attended the criminal trial to support him. However, Melania Trump had stayed away from the Manhattan courthouse, raising questions from some about the state of their marriage.

Following Thursday's verdict in a Fox News interview that aired on Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump spoke about how the trial affected Melania as he said she is "fine," but that "it's very hard for her."

"It's tougher, I think it's probably in many ways, it's tougher on my family than it is on me," Trump added on Sunday.

During the trial, Daniels, who testified in the case, relayed in graphic detail the sexual encounter she claims she had with Trump in his hotel suite after they met at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006. Trump has been married to Melania Trump since 2005.

Melania has mainly appeared to remove herself from public life amid her husband's 2024 presidential campaign and various ongoing legal troubles as critics have questioned the reason behind it.

Although Melania has still not appeared at any of Trump's legal proceedings, the former first lady has reappeared in the public as she held her first major political event of the year appearing at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago on April 20 for the Log Cabin Republicans.