One day after former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal publicly claimed to have had a 10-month affair with Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump chose to leave the White House on Friday without her husband — again.
Though the official White House schedule stated that the first couple planned to depart the White House together aboard Marine One to Joint Base Andrews, Mrs. Trump opted to leave Washington, D.C. solo following her speech honoring “women of courage” at an event on Friday, according to CNN.
When asked about the change of plans, a rep for the first lady simply told PEOPLE: “Mrs. Trump is here at Mar-a-Lago.”
Meanwhile, the president shared a photo of himself arriving at the Maryland military facility alone on Instagram.
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On late Friday evening, Donald and Melania were pictured arriving at Palm Beach International Airport together with their son Barron. The father of five is expected to remain at Mar-a-Lago for the weekend while the first lady is scheduled to stay for at least a week while the couple’s son Barron spends his spring break vacation.
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Friday was a stark contrast from the couple’s hand-in-hand walk on the White House lawn on Monday.
Before heading to New Hampshire via Marine One, the couple showed a united front with their arms around each other’s waists. “Thank you to our First Lady, Melania, who has been so incredible. Thank you. And we are blessed to have you as our First Lady. Really are,” the president reportedly said.
RELATED: Karen McDougal Says Donald Trump Told Her She Was ‘Beautiful Like Ivanka’ During Alleged Affair
In addition, hours before McDougal’s CNN interview aired on Thursday, Melania made a rare move by sharing a smiling photo of herself and her husband on Twitter. The pair is standing on the Truman Balcony of the White House, overlooking freshly fallen snow on the South Lawn.
A source close to Melania recently told PEOPLE that the first lady is “furious” over the nonstop controversies engulfing the White House and her husband’s presidency. “What’s happening is exactly what she didn’t want to happen,” the source said. “They’ve literally become like the Kardashians: scandals, divorces, headlines.”
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On Thursday, McDougal tearfully expressed her remorse to Melania, telling Anderson Cooper in her interview that she’s “sorry” for her alleged affair with Trump that started in June 2006, three months before Barron was born, and ended in April 2017. McDougal also revealed that Trump allegedly tried to pay her after sex.
The ex-Playboy model is the second woman who was reportedly paid by people close to Trump shortly before the presidential election to keep an alleged affair with him a secret. Both McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels used attorney Keith Davidson to broker their deals.
White House reps previously denied news of Trump’s affair with McDougal, telling The New Yorker: “This is an old story that is just more fake news. The President says he never had a relationship with McDougal.”