Trump and Melania Have Themselves an Awkward Little Xmas

Grievances have been aired.
Photograph: Shawn Thew/Bloomberg/Getty Photos

Internet hosting the Congressional Ball looks as if it ought to be one of many best duties on the Trumps’ agenda. The annual celebration is a bipartisan occasion the place members of the Home of Representatives and Senate collect to have fun the vacations on the White Home. All of the president and First Girl must do is present up in one thing festive, situation some generic vacation well-wishes, and smile.

But Donald and Melania Trump discovered a technique to make issues awkward.

Melania’s method to the vacations has all the time been weirdly spooky, and her apparel on Thursday night time stored along with her inexplicably goth Christmas aesthetic. She wore a black velvet blazer and pants by Dolce & Gabbana over a sheer, high-necked black lace shirt.

Everyone knows Melania might or might not give a fuck about Christmas, so there’s actually no purpose to attract consideration to her odd imaginative and prescient for the vacation. However the president selected to go with his spouse’s efforts this yr by reminiscing about her earlier vacation adorning debacles.

“I’d say that is the most effective. Though, I favored the purple timber,” he mentioned. “She bought criticized for the purple timber. Then I favored the white timber and he or she was criticized for the white timber. Then I favored the inexperienced timber and he or she bought criticized and he or she went again to inexperienced, and so they adore it.”

Donald examined Melania’s means to stay expressionless once more a couple of minutes later, when he breezily recalled how distraught Home Majority Chief Steve Scalise’s spouse was when he was shot and almost killed in 2017. He famous that some wives — like perhaps the lady standing subsequent to him? — might need had a special response.

“I came upon that night time you may have a spouse who loves you dearly,” Trump mentioned. “I do know many wives who wouldn’t even be crying.”

In her personal temporary remarks, Melania thanked lawmakers for supporting the Take It Down Act, which she proudly referred to as “our best triumph in my workplace, within the First Girl’s workplace, in 2025.”

She concluded by teasing that she has one other legislative challenge deliberate for the New 12 months.

“I hope you’ll be excited to assist my new legislative initiative in 2026,” she mentioned. “A few of you already learn about it as a result of it’s already within the works.”

Then Donald Trump took the mic once more and quipped that he has no thought what the First Girl is speaking about.

“Effectively, I simply heard about that for the primary time,” he mentioned, drawing laughter from the gang.

“The one factor I can inform you — I do know one factor for positive, Mr. Speaker — it’s going to be nice for kids,” he added. “I don’t know what it’s she’s doing, but it surely’s going to be nice for kids.”

So clothes and décor decisions apart, the individual making issues bizarre on Thursday night time was actually Donald, not Melania. However don’t really feel too dangerous for our First Girl. She (or somebody on her social-media crew) bought the president again by posting this video. Initially, it seems like Melania helps her decrepit husband as he slowly struggles to get down the steps.

Different movies present that Trump had no problem descending the steps. The clip posted by the First Girl’s workplace seems off as a result of the video is in slow-motion however the audio is regular pace. Perhaps Melania’s crew was simply attempting to be artsy, but it surely’s an odd factor to submit when individuals are chattering concerning the president’s mysterious well being points and a (pretend) photograph of Trump utilizing a walker goes viral.

Both method, hopefully the Trumps can work out their points and Be Greatest this Chrismas (no matter which means).