New York, New York - As the world spent Friday wishing former first lady Melania Trump a happy 54th birthday, her husband, Donald Trump, was forced to do so from court.

Early that morning, Trump (77) traveled to the New York County Criminal Court building to attend day 8 of his hush money trial, where he is facing 34 criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business records in an effort to cover up an affair he had with porn star Stormy Daniels.

Before entering, he predictably stopped to speak with reporters, but this time, instead of ranting about the trial, he took a moment to send a long-distance message to his third wife, who he claimed was still at their Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

"I want to start by wishing my wife, Melania, a very happy birthday," he said.

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"It would be nice to be with her, but I'm in a courthouse for a rigged trial. It's a rigged trial – terrible."

The former president went on to vow that he would return home to his wife after "this horrible, unconstitutional case" wraps up for the day.

The wishes come as Melania has been noticeably absent from the public eye since her husband announced his re-election campaign.

On the rare occasions the couple have been seen together recently, Melania has seemed distant from her husband, fueling public speculation about the state of their marriage.

While reactions to his message on Truth Social were overwhelmingly positive, with users praising the former first lady and urging Trump to "hang in there," users on X were far more ruthless.

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A number of critics described his message as "awkward" and "cringy," while others offered better things Trump could have done to show love for his wife.

"A good husband would have brought her breakfast in bed with a nice bunch of flowers and a huge diamond ring," one user shared.

Hopefully, Trump will have something more creative planned for May 12 to celebrate Melania on Mother's Day.