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Former President Donald Trump sent a Valentine's Day message on Wednesday to wife, Melania Trump, in the form of a fundraising email centered around his indictments and trials.
Trump, the GOP front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination, is facing four criminal indictments with a total of 91 charges, all of which he maintains his innocence in while calling them part of a political witch hunt.
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign sent out an email with the subject line "I love you, Melania!" The email read: "THIS IS A VALENTINE'S DAY LETTER FROM DONALD J. TRUMP: Dear Melania,I LOVE YOU! Even after every single INDICTMENT, ARREST, and WITCH HUNT, you never left my side. You've always supported me through everything. I wouldn't be the man I am today without your guidance, kindness, and warmth. You will always mean the world to me, Melania! From your husband with love, Donald J. Trump. Please leave some kind words for the First Lady this Valentine's Day!"
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment.
The email also contains three "SEND YOUR LOVE" buttons, which bring supporters to a donation page that repeats the Valentine's Day message, and says: "If you love Melania, I humbly ask you for you to leave her some kind words below!"
A box with the caption "PLEASE LEAVE SOME KIND WORDS FOR THE FIRST LADY THIS VALENTINE'S DAY – SEND HER YOUR LOVE!" appears along with a list of suggested donations.
One of Trump's cases is a Georgia racketeering case in which he and 18 co-defendants were charged last year with trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. Another is his election interference case in Washington, D.C. Special Counsel Jack Smith has led the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation, accusing Trump of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election that led to the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Trump is facing dozens of felony charges from the DOJ, which has accused him of unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving the White House in 2021 and repeatedly obstructing government efforts to retrieve them.
Since the email went out, some have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to note Trump's use of Melania and her Valentine's Day message to send a fundraising email.
Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, wondered if Trump actually wrote the email, saying on X: "I don't know if Donald Trump actually wrote this heartfelt fundraising valentine to Melania for sticking by him through his indictments, but signing it "Donald J. Trump" at least makes it plausible."
Daily Mail U.S. political reporter Emily Goodin wrote on X: "Donald Trump sends his Valentine's Day message to Melania in the form of a fundraising email."
The Valentine's Day message came after Trump provided an update on his wife's possible involvement in his 2024 presidential campaign, saying: "She wants to make America great again, too."
"She's gonna play, and she always did play, a big role," Trump said during an interview with Fox News' Brian Kilmeade. "She was somebody that you could rely on. She's very smart, a very compassionate person...she wants to make America Great again, too."
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About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more