"With Ivanka gone I think that this is the time to step in for Eric," Stephanie Grisham says. "Eric is probably trying to take on a bit of a role to try to keep the family together."
Donald Trump had no family by his side at his arraignment on Tuesday.
The former president's son Eric accompanied him to New York Monday, but wife Melania, and children Don Jr. and Ivanka were all missing in action.
Many, including the ladies of "The View," thought they spotted Melania arriving at Trump Tower on Monday evening but it was actually Margo Martin.
Martin is a Melania look-alike and former press assistant who is now "Deputy Director of Communications for Save America and 45th President Donald J. Trump," according to her Twitter bio.
Melania's decision to stay home in Palm Beach comes as no surprise to her former press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
"When the Stormy Daniels allegations first surfaced when we were in the White House, she had a very strong reaction to it in that she insisted she not be seen by Donald Trump's side," Grisham tells Inside Edition. "She always used to say to me, 'This is his problem. He can take care of it. This is not my problem.'"
Daughter Ivanka is also absent, and was seen scurrying to get back into her car when she spotted members of the media on Monday in Florida.
Ivanka did reportedly visit with her dad at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, but did not accompany him for his return to the Big Apple.
"I think it's self-preservation," Grisham tells Steven Fabian. "She has now tasted freedom and privacy nd I think that she's going to hold on to that privacy and whatever little life she has started to rebuild. She's going to hold on to that with everything she's got."
Don Jr. has been more vocal than his sister but also stayed in Florida, making Eric the lone family member to accompany his dad to New York.
"With Ivanka gone I think that this is the time to step in for Eric," Grisham says. "Eric is probably trying to take on a bit of a role to try to keep the family together."
