Trump accuses DeSantis of spreading ‘Missing Melania’ flyers

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Donald Trump has accused his 2024 rival Ron DeSantis of spreading “Missing Melania” flyers at the Iowa football game he attended.

The former first lady has barely been seen since departing the White House with the four-times indicted former president in January 2021.

Mr Trump was heckled by fans at the Iowa State game on Saturday in the key early-voting state, and a plane with a “Where’s Melania?” banner even flew over the stadium.

Now the former president has posted an article on Truth Social by far-right activist Laura Loomer, claiming that “DeSantis’s campaign staff passed out flyers attacking former First Lady Melania Trump.”

Loomer claimed that the flyers showed a picture of Melania with “MISSING” written in large red letters.

“Have you seen this woman? Where is our First Lady? Why is Donald Trump hiding her? We miss her. Please call 561-832-2600 if found,” the flyer stated.

Since moving to Mar-a-Lago after her husband was beaten in the 2020 election by Joe Biden, Ms Trump has stayed out of the limelight.

She has been a no-show at any of her husband’s four criminal arraignments and has also not appeared on the campaign trail for his 20204 presidential campaign. She has not been photographed by Getty Images since she appeared at a New Year event at Mar-a-Lago on 31 December 2022.

Mr Trump is currently leading polls as the favourite to secure the 2024 Republican nomination to take on Joe Biden, despite his legal difficulties.

Mr Trump, who is the first and only former or sitting president to be criminally charged, faces a total of 91 felony counts across his four criminal indictments by state and federal prosecutors.

Special counsel Jack Smith has charged him with four criminal counts over his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election. These include a conspiracy to violate civil rights, a conspiracy to defraud the government, the corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding and a conspiracy to carry out such obstruction.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan has set a 4 March trial date, the day before the Super Tuesday primaries.

He has been charged along with 18 others, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani, in Fulton County, Georgia, for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. Mr Trump faces 13 felony charges in the RICO case

Mr Trump also faces 40 federal felony charges with Mr Smith accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving the White House. That case is expected to go to trial in May 2024.

And he has been accused in New York City of falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.  Mr Trump was indicted in March and is expected to go to trial on 25 March 2024.

He has pleaded guilty to every charge in each case and has accused prosecutors of “election interference” and an attempt to derail his 2024 run for a second term in the Oval Office.