Trump congratulates Melania on ‘doing a great job’ after skipping her birthday message
The ex-president has notably admitted to forgetting his wife’s birthday before
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump on Monday congratulated his wife Melania Trump for a “great job” as first lady after he appeared to have snubbed her on her birthday once again.
The former president of the United States wrote on Truth Social that the former first lady was doing the “great job” specifically with her “Be Best” initiative, an anti-bullying campaign launched during the Trump presidency that was frequently derided due to her husband’s well-known bullying style on the campaign trail.
His post notably came just a few days after Ms Trump celebrated her 53rd birthday with a small gathering of friends at Mar-a-Lago. Her husband went the entire day without acknowledging her on social media, despite the frequency of his posting.
According to People magazine, it wasn’t even clear if Mr Trump attended the celebration itself — representatives confirmed to the magazine only that the former president would attend if his schedule permitted.
This latest snub of his wife’s birthday is far from the first awkward moment to occur on Melania’s (supposedly) special day. In 2018, Mr Trump admitted that he had forgotten her birthday that year until just immediately beforehand, resulting in her only receiving flowers and a card.
The following year, the president marked his wife’s birthday by inviting the prime minister of Japan to the White House for a state dinner, eschewing the private moments that other presidents and their loved ones have shared.
A source told People that “Melania likes a low-key celebration with family and that I believe is her plan for this year’s birthday”.
“If Donald is here, he will be joining the family to celebrate his wife’s birthday. Despite what you hear, the Trumps are a close family,” the source claimed.
One reason for Mr Trump’s apparent distraction could be the cascade of legal battles he currently faces.
After becoming the first ex-president to come under criminal indictment last month, Mr Trump now awaits a decision by a district attorney in Georgia regarding whether he and/or members of his former legal team will face criminal charges over their attempts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments