Melania travels alone to air base after new affair claims

washington — US first lady Melania Trump on Friday chose not to leave the White House with her husband as planned to catch a flight to Florida, after a second woman claimed she had an affair with the now president.

The 47-year-old Slovenian-born model skipped the helicopter ride from the White House to Joint Base Andrews, deciding instead to take the longer motorcade on her own to meet Donald for the flight to the Sunshine State for a long holiday weekend. Reporters travelling with Trump were prevented from seeing the First Lady arrive on the plane, but she did exit the plane at West Palm Beach with Trump.

The pair walked down the stairs together, Melania in dark sunglasses, but she did not smile.

The flight came just hours after former Playboy model Karen McDougal claimed she and Trump had a sexual relationship in 2006, months after Melania Trump gave birth to the president’s youngest son Barron. McDougal also described complex legal and financial agreements that were used in an alleged bid to cover it up.

In a statement to The New Yorker, an unnamed spokesperson said the president had denied having a relationship with McDougal, calling the claims “fake news.”

And the first lady’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham tried to pour cold water on any speculation about the first couple’s relationship, saying: “”With her schedule, it was easier to meet him on the plane.” According to The New Yorker, the nine-month relationship ended quietly, but years later — during the 2016 presidential campaign — she sold her story.

The New Yorker reported that on August 5, 2016, McDougal agreed to give the company which owns the National Inquirer tabloid exclusive rights over “any romantic, personal, or physical relationship she has ever had with any ‘thenmarried man.’” —