First lady Melania Trump chose not to attend a baby shower in honor of stepdaughter Tiffany Trump's first child, the Daily Beast reported. Sources say that she opted to spend the weekend with Barron Trump, the son she shares with Tiffany Trump's father, President Donald Trump.
Friends and family of Tiffany Trump gathered in Palm Beach on April 6 to celebrate the mother-to-be. Several members of the Trump clan were in attendance, including Tiffany Trump's mother, Marla Maples.
"A beautiful day celebrating my daughter Tiffany’s 1st baby shower surrounded by love, family, and dear friends. Thank you, Ivanka, for hosting such a stunning and heartfelt gathering—a memory we’ll cherish forever," Maples, who was Donald Trump's second wife, captioned a photo of her with her 31-year-old daughter on Instagram Thursday.
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Noticeably absent from the festivities was Melania Trump, who is Donald Trump's third wife. A source claiming to be close to the family said this was because the first lady was spending time with her son Barron Trump while he concludes his second semester of his freshman year at New York University.
The source claimed this choice isn't "surprising" for the First Lady, who felt there wasn't "any reason" to show up at the baby shower. Moreover, Melania Trump "has her own schedule, even on weekends" which precluded her from attending the event.
Ivanka Trump, who is the child of Donald Trump's first wife Ivana Trump, hosted the Peter Rabbit-themed soiree, the UK Daily Mail reported. The Trump children from the different marriages seem to get along even if their parents' marriages didn't work out.
According to People, Donald and Ivana Trump were married for over a decade before their 1990 divorce. They had three children together: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump. Their split was rumored to be because of an extramarital affair Donald Trump was having with Maples.
In 1993, Donald Trump took Maples as his second wife shortly after Tiffany Trump was born. Their marriage lasted until 1997, and Donald Trump would go on to wed Melania Trump in 2005 before welcoming Barron to the family in 2006.
The life of a first lady is not easy, and being a step-parent is a challenge, even under the best of circumstances. Still, the internet had no grace for Melania Trump's decision to stay away from Tiffany Trump's big day.
"Would you really want the woman your dad cheated on your mom with to come to your baby shower?" one user sniped under the Daily Beast's post of the article on Friday to X, formerly Twitter. Of course, this is entirely incorrect, but it is indicative of the kind of venom directed at the First Lady.
Another user compared Melania Trump's absence to Michelle Obama's decision not to attend Jimmy Carter's funeral with her husband, Barack Obama, earlier this year. "But when a former FLOTUS (Michelle) misses a funeral, suddenly everyone thinks they’re getting divorced," the user noted.
There have been several rumors about both couples, including a September 2024 report that the Trumps were getting divorced. According to Reuters, this was patently false and based on a fake Newsweek report circulated online.
Family dynamics are never easy, but the Trumps are arguably the most powerful family in the world. This makes news outlets and internet dwellers believe that a guest list at a baby shower is their business, even when it's not.
