Donald Trump says he may not attend his eldest son’s wedding, citing the war in Iran and “other things” in his schedule.
The president’s son, Don Jr., is set to wed socialite Bettina Anderson this weekend, saying “I do” in front of a small group of friends and family in the Bahamas.
The ceremony comes after it was delayed earlier this year, with the pair reportedly wanting to wait until the war in Iran was over.
But with the conflict still going—and with no end in sight—Trump told reporters on Thursday that the timing still wasn’t ideal.
Asked if he planned to attend the wedding, Trump replied: “Ughhh, he’d like me to go. But it’s going to be just a small little private affair, and I’m going to try and make it.
“I said: ‘You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things,’” he added.
“That’s one I can’t win on. If I do attend, I get killed. If I don’t attend, I get killed—by the fake news, of course, I’m talking about… Hopefully they’re gonna have a great marriage.”
The comments underscore the domestic and geopolitical challenges Trump faces due to the war.
After winning office promising not to get embroiled in foreign entanglements, Trump ordered strikes on Iran on February 28, expecting a speedy victory against the authoritarian regime.
Since then, however, 13 U.S. service officers and countless Iranians have died, while a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has led to more pain at the pump for consumers.
Gas prices are now at a national average of $4.56 a gallon according to AAA, while polls show the president’s approval rating on the economy has hit record lows.
Asked on Thursday about the standoff in the Strait, Trump told reporters: “We want it open, we want it free, we don’t want tolls.”
He also said he wants Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions and has not ruled out striking again.
The fact that Trump could miss his eldest son’s wedding is also the latest sign of the sometimes fraught dynamic between the president and Don Trump Jr.
Trump has frequently praised his son publicly as a political attack dog and loyal surrogate, but people close to the family have long described Don Jr. as deeply eager for validation from his father, who also had a fraught relationship with his own dad, Fred.
In recent years, Don Jr. has increasingly positioned himself as the purest embodiment of Trumpism within his family, cultivating close ties with the MAGA base through podcasts, social media, and campaign appearances.
His relationship with Bettina Anderson also emerged under scrutiny because it overlapped with the collapse of his long engagement to Kimberly Guilfoyle, one of the most visible figures in Trump-world and now the president’s ambassador in Greece.
Anderson, a Palm Beach socialite and Columbia graduate from a wealthy Florida family, was first linked to Don Jr. in 2024 after paparazzi photographed the pair together while he was still publicly tied to Guilfoyle.
The couple quickly became fixtures on the Mar-a-Lago and White House social circuits, with Anderson accompanying Don Jr. to political and diplomatic events and increasingly integrating herself into the Trump family.
They announced their engagement at a White House holiday party late last year and have reportedly opted for a smaller ceremony in the Bahamas this Memorial Day weekend after abandoning earlier discussions about a more lavish White House wedding.
