It's certainly not always easy being at Donald Trump's side. His life brings with it comfort and luxury, but where he goes controversy follows. As a spouse that can be hard to endure. However, Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States for the second time now, as stood by him through all the twists and turns.
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It would be normal to think that Donald Trump showers her with love and gifts as a gesture of appreciation, at least on the special holidays and of course her birthday—but that's not really the case.
Melania Trump attended the Pope's funeral on her birthday
Melania Trump turned 55 on Saturday 26 April 2025. What supposed to be a day of celebrations was actually spent attending an important funeral. Indeed, for the FLOTUS duty always comes first and she had travelled to Rome with her husband to attend the funeral of the late Pope Francis which took place on the same day.
The sad event was attended by several world leaders, and naturally Trump's attendance took the spotlight. One reason is because of the suit he decided to wear.
The funeral meant that Melania was not able to have a lavish birthday party at the Oval Office, but did she at least get to celebrate with her husband in private?
Did Melania Trump get any birthday presents?
Donald Trump was already asked this by some reporters on the flight to Rome. After all, the couple would be in one of the most romantic cities in the world on Melania's special day.
The 78-year-old explained, he had ‘no time’ to buy presents for his wife. He has had a lot on his plate, with the tariff negotiations and now the funeral service. However that doesn't mean he didn't plan anything for his beloved. Because the couple would be travelling back that same evening, he decided to have dinner with her on their flight back. He said:
I invite her to dinner - in the Boeing. I invite her to dinner on Air Force One.
I haven’t had much time to buy presents. I’ve been pretty busy. But it’s working out. People are starting to understand how good tariffs are … for us.
This is by no means the most bizarre birthday story about the First Lady
This has surprised many. After all, the First Lady is known for her glamorous lifestyle - and Donald Trump always presents himself as a loving husband. However, anyone who has been following the Trumps for a while will know that this is not the first time that the ex-model's birthday has seemed to ‘fall behind’ on his list of priorities.
In recent years, the Republican has often caused a stir with bizarre actions and birthday presents for his wife. Sometimes much to the chagrin of his wife. In 2019, for example, the White House chose to post a rather awkward photo of her on her birthday. She was sitting alone on the couch while cameramen were swarmed around her. It became a meme instantly.
On another occasion, Donald Trump used Melania's birthday to call for campaign donations ‘in her honour’. Otherwise, the classic ‘birthday card plus flowers’ package was probably more common on the day. Last year, however, the current president did not miss the opportunity to publicly congratulate his wife from the courtroom, despite the physical distance.
This article has been translated from Gentside DE.
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Sources used:
FR: Melanias Trumps Geburtstag fällt wegen Papst-Trauerfeier ungewöhnlich aus
Daily Mail: Shocking birthday gifts Donald Trump has bought Melania since becoming President revealed
Economic Times: Melania Trump' birthday: Here's why Donald Trump ist not buying a present for the First Lady today
Daily Mail: The White House's birthday tweet to Melania is turned into hilarious memes - as Twitter mocks bizarre choice of photo, which shows her sitting on an Oval Office couch ALONE surrounded by photographers
