Trump's Latest Mar-A-Lago Celebration Without Melania Casts Dark Cloud Over Their Marriage

The day before Mother's Day, Donald Trump gave a messy Mother's Day shoutout to Melania Trump and to Melania's mother Amalija Knavs, who passed away earlier this year, at a campaign rally in New Jersey. He said to Melania, "I will be home in a little while," via YouTube. But when he was pictured celebrating Mother's Day at brunch at Mar-a-Lago the next day, Melania didn't seem to be with him. In footage shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Donald is seen walking in by himself to a Mar-a-Lago ballroom decorated with a pink balloon arch for the occasion.

Trump walking into Mar-a-Lago's Mothers Day lunch. Where's Melania? pic.twitter.com/thXRJDkJro

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) May 12, 2024

Of all the events where you'd expect a husband and wife to be together, a Mother's Day brunch seems to be fairly high on the list. The former first lady hasn't been publicly seen all that much with Donald lately — Melania's been absent from Donald's criminal trial in New York. However, given the fact that it centers on his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, which Melania might not like to think about, that could make sense. But Melania skipping a Mother's Day brunch? At Mar-a-Lago, where she lives? That seems harder to understand if the two are in a happy, healthy marriage. Though, it may just be the way their relationship is. Melania's former friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who had her own critique of Melania's online Mother's Day message, has talked about Donald and Melania's relationship, referring to it in a BBC interview as a "transactional marriage."

The argument could also be made that Melania Trump was already seated before Donald Trump arrived for the Mother's Day event at Mar-a-Lago. However, footage from another angle as Donald entered the room to a standing ovation also didn't seem to show the former first lady in attendance. Another clip on X shows him at a table with his iPad out; Donald is known for using his iPad to control the music at Mar-a-Lago. While it's impossible to know the truth of anyone's marriage without being a part of it, Melania's absence at an event specifically for Mother's Day at their home didn't look good.

Trump critics on social media certainly noticed that Melania and Donald weren't together. Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief for MeidasTouch, posted on X, "Hosting this Mother's Day dinner, but no sign of Melania. Again. Fake Marriage." One person joked, "He must have refused to pay Melania her appearance fee." A few did come out in support of Melania with explanations as to why she might not be there, though. "Maybe she spent time [with] Barron or maybe this was a hard day for her because it's the first Mother's Day without her mother," one person wrote.

 Questions about if and how long Melania will stay married to Donald have swirled for years, and this Mother's Day outing doesn't seem to have quelled any rumors.