Donald Trump appeared to commit the ultimate partner faux pas—failing to publicly wish his wife a happy birthday until prompted.
In the aftermath of a would-be assassin storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, the president made no mention of First Lady Melania Trump’s 56th birthday.
Throughout the day on Sunday, Trump, 79, posted at least six times on Truth Social. There, he addressed the attempted assassination of himself and top administration officials at the Washington Hilton, along with a host of other topics. At one point, he mused about renaming ICE agents to “NICE agents.”
“GREAT IDEA!!! DO IT. President DJT,” he wrote.
In another post, he shared a photo of a sign reading “Donald J Trump bridge.”
He also congratulated Lee Greenwood, who sings “God Bless the USA,” and his wife, Kim, on becoming grandparents.
“They were with me from the very beginning - Total loyalty, and Lee gave me the greatest walk on song of all time, nothing even close!!! Congratulations to you both!!! Love, President DJT” the president wrote.
It was only when 60 Minutes host Norah O’Donnell broached the topic during Trump’s appearance on the CBS show that the president publicly acknowledged his wife’s special day.
“I understand today is the first lady’s birthday? Is that right?” O’Donnell inquired, to which Trump replied: “Today is her birthday, yes. Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Melania.”
The president added that by the time he and the former-model-turned first lady returned home on Saturday night, it was past midnight. “Well, it was-- yeah, by the time we get back here, it’s like around 12:00, and I said, ‘Happy birthday, darling,’” he said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the first lady’s birthday plans.
The official White House X account—run by the communications team—did, however, share a tribute to the first lady. “Happy Birthday to our amazing First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump!” the post reads.
In 2025, the first lady marked her birthday in Vatican City at the late Pope Francis’ funeral. At the time, Trump told reporters he would be taking her out for dinner “on Air Force One.”
“She’s got a working birthday,” he laughed.
Previously, sources told People magazine that Melania enjoys “a low-key celebration with family” on her birthdays at Mar-a-Lago—but the past few days have been anything but. After the harrowing incident at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, the first lady and the president were back on duty Monday, rolling out the red carpet for Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
