Melania and Donald Trump broke protocol in an unusual way - and it could unveil a mystery regarding the state of their marriage

Chris Kleponis/Getty

U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump return to the White House after their stay at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on January 1, 2018 in Washington, DC.

• Melania and Donald Trump broke tradition by arriving to Marine One via separate routes on Friday.
• The first lady's communications director said that the unusual choice was made due to Melania Trump's schedule.
• On Friday, The New Yorker published new details about an alleged affair between President Trump and a Playboy model, which reportedly took place soon after Melania gave birth to their son, Barron.

Melania and Donald Trump broke from tradition after a new report about one of the president's former alleged affairs.

The first lady eschewed the traditional walk across the South Lawn to Marine One on Friday, instead driving to the plane separately from President Trump, CNN reported. Traditionally, the president and first lady walk to the plane together.

"With her schedule it was easier to meet him on the plane," Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's communications director, said in a statement to CNN.

Melania Trump's absence was especially notable given her tendency to disappear from the president's side when allegations of his past indiscretions surface.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Melania Trump spent Valentine's Day with kids at the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.

On Friday, The New Yorker published an investigation centered on Karen McDougal, a former Playboy Playmate who has previously said she had an affair with Trump in 2006. At the time, Trump was married to first lady Melania Trump, and their youngest son, Barron, was just months old.

This is the second time this week the first lady has seemingly removed herself from the public sphere when conversation has turned to discussion of Trump's alleged affairs.

On Wednesday, Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had an affair with President Trump, said she is now open to talking about the relationship. On the same day, both Melania and Donald Trump publicly refrained from wishing each other a happy Valentine's Day.

The first lady also publicly distanced herself from the president when The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Michael Cohen, one of Trump's top lawyers, organized the transfer of $130,000 into Daniels' account in October 2016.

At the time, Melania Trump mostly disappeared from public engagements with her husband. She did not join him on a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as planned, nor did she post anything to celebrate their anniversary on January 22, as she has in years past.

The president and the first lady are flying together to Parkland, Florida, to meet with victims of this week's mass shooting and their families, CNN reported.

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