Amid the Stormy Daniels allegations in 2018, Donald Trump described his wife Melania as his “rock and foundation”, adding he wouldn’t “be the man I am without her by my side”.

At the time, in an email seen by Newsweek urging supporters to sign her 48th birthday card with the subject line ‘My better half’ from the ‘Trump Make America Great Again Committee’, Mr Trump said Melania was “the cornerstone of our family, and an incredible mother to our son, Barron”.

As Trump, 77, now faces three indictments (all of which he’s pleaded not guilty to) – Melania, who was not by his side in a Washington court house on August 3, has finally emerged once again as his “secret weapon” and anchor.

With opinion polls showing Mr Trump is the clear frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Melania is reportedly back at the table.

Most importantly, she has adopted her “be better” First Lady mantra, and is reportedly working on “keeping his temper in check”.

“Melania’s even better than his regular golf games at keeping his temper in check,” a source told the New York Post’s Page Six.

“She provides a peaceful life for him when he needs it.

“Melania is being credited by his friends with keeping President Trump ‘calm and focused’ amid the hellish week of his being indicted for the third time.

“Friends whisper these last few weeks have been hard on Trump, and although he always presents a tough front, these constant legal assaults are affecting his day-to-day life.”

Donald and Melania Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in 2022. Photo: Getty

All in the family

With Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner stepping away from the inner circle after the election loss to concentrate on their family, the NYP source says Melania is backing his bid for a second term in office.

“She backs his bid for a second term completely, and listens to him when he needs someone he can trust … she is obsessively private. She never gossips with even her closest friends, so Trump knows when they talk about important things it’s just between them. She listens and isn’t afraid to give her honest opinions and advice,” the source said.

“The couple has worked out a schedule and routine that works for them. She is his secret weapon to staying grounded.”

Even their son, Barron, 17, is there for breakfast and dinner.

“The couple and their son [Barron] have breakfast and dinner together regularly at their residence at his Bedminster golf club,” the source said.

“[Melania] literally turns the news off at times so they can watch something else together, and she frowns over telephone or social media use at the table.

“Melania keeps him on track as a father and has in many ways stepped up to fill the place Ivanka [Trump] and Jared [Kushner] once had.

“She is his most intimate and internal sounding board.”

Donald Trump at Reagan National Airport following an arraignment in Washington DC.  Photo: Getty

In April, Mr Trump became the first sitting or former US president to face criminal charges when he was indicted in New York state court, accused of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to Ms Daniels ahead of the 2016 US election.

He pleaded not guilty.

Not happy about charges

“[Melania] remains angry and doesn’t want to hear [the alleged hush money payment] mentioned,” a source told People before the Daniels accusations.

“She is aware of who her husband is and keeps her life upbeat with her own family and a few close friends.

“Melania is leading her own life, and still feels happy being at Mar-a-Lago [Palm Beach, Florida], surrounded by people who love her and who never talk about reality, or bad things about her husband.”

In June, prosecutors accused Mr Trump of taking hundreds of documents containing the nation’s most closely held secrets and storing them haphazardly at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

At his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr Trump allegedly also showed classified information to people who were not authorised to see it, according to the indictment.

He faces charges that include violations of the Espionage Act, which criminalises unauthorised possession of defence information, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Melania was not happy about these escalating charges.

A People magazine source again: “Melania is upset and unhappy about last week’s federal indictment of her husband.

“Like her husband, she wishes these legal issues would go away.

“As is her way, Melania remains cool and aloof and prefers to go about her business.

“The recent indictment does not involve her, and while she may feel the evidence is damaging and that he has a rough road ahead, she has lived with other public humiliation for many years, including the sex scandals.”

Melania did not exit Trump Force One at Reagan National Airport with her husband, nor accompany him to the Washington federal court.

On August 3, Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to four felony criminal charges during his arraignment after being indicted for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.