Trump says hush money trial was "very hard" on his wife Melania

Donald Trump says his historic criminal trial was "very hard" on his wife Melania, a notable absentee from the close family members who attended court in support of the former president.

"She's fine, but I think it's very hard for her," Trump said in an interview aired on Fox and Friends Sunday. "She has to read all this crap."

"I think it's probably in many ways, it's tougher on my family than it is on me," he added.

A jury convicted Trump Thursday on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up a sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels.

It was the first criminal conviction of a former president in US history and means Trump is now running in the November 5 presidential election as a felon.

While three of his adult children attended the closing days of the trial, Melania was absent throughout.

She has barely engaged with her husband's White House campaign, failing to appear at a single Trump rally and rarely joins him in public.