The president will remain in Washington amid heightened international attention.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on Friday at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. | Alex Brandon/AP
President Donald Trump offered a cryptic excuse Friday for missing his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding later this weekend, which comes amid bubbling international tensions.
Trump confirmed he will not be attending his son’s wedding to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, citing “circumstances pertaining to Government” without providing details.
“I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time,” Trump said on Truth Social.
The president offered some indication about what could draw his attention this weekend, telling reporters at the White House on Thursday that his son’s wedding was “not good timing” because of “a thing called Iran and other things.”
Trump is also now expected to return to the White House on Friday evening after a speech in New York. He was originally scheduled to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club and return Sunday.
Trump said Tuesday he had planned to launch new strikes on Iran that day but scrapped the assault after Middle Eastern allies urged him to allow negotiations to develop. Later that day, Trump told reporters the next strike could come “maybe Friday or Saturday” or “early next week.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Sweden on Friday there’s been “slight progress” in talks to end the war, cautioning that he doesn’t “want to exaggerate” the developments. He also alluded to a “plan B” to open the Strait of Hormuz if an agreement with Iran can’t be reached.
The Trump administration has also been ramping up pressure to overturn the communist regime in Cuba, leaving some officials in Washington increasingly convinced that military strikes against Cuba are on the table. Trump downplayed the possibility to reporters Thursday, but he continued to suggest the administration is looking at some form of action against the country.
Trump Jr. and Anderson’s wedding is expected to be an intimate ceremony with a small group of family and friends in the Bahamas, Page Six reported. Trump Jr. was previously married to Vanessa Trump for 12 years until their 2018 divorce. He was previously in a relationship with U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, the ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
