While continuing to talk about his parents, Trump reflected on their long marriage and the life they built together after his mother moved to the United States. He described how she met his father, Fred Trump, and emphasized the length of their relationship.
“She came to America at 19, met my incredible father, we loved him so much, we all loved him, we loved her, we loved him: Fred. And, they were married for 63 years,” he said.
At that point, Trump turned his attention to the first lady and made a comment that shifted the tone once again.
Addressing her directly, he said: “And, uh, excuse me, if you don’t mind, that’s a record we won’t be able to match, darling.”
The crowd reacted with laughter, but Trump continued, reinforcing the comment rather than moving on. “I’m sorry, it’s just not going to work out that way. We’ll do well, but we’re not going to do that well.”
‘Glow like an expectant widow’
Trump’s joke came during a period of heightened attention around his public appearances. Just days earlier, a gunman fired shots at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after breaching security, where Trump, Melania – and top members of his administration – were present.
In the days that followed, the moment became fodder for late-night television, with Jimmy Kimmel zeroing in on the president and his wife in his monologue.
The host made a controversial joke saying Melania had “a glow like an expectant widow,” prompting a rare public response from the former first lady, who described the comment as “hateful and violent rhetoric.”
“His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” Melania wrote on X. “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
After the president and the FLOTUS called on ABC to fire the comedian – again – Kimmel clarified that it was “obviously was a joke about their age difference…and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together.”
“I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it,” he said, addressing Melania.
Despite the threats to be removed from the show, Kimmel reacted hours after Trump’s latest speech, questioning the president’s comment about his own marriage and longevity. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Did he just make a joke about his death? My god. You should be fired for that!”
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