Trump says he may miss son’s wedding due to ‘Iran and other things’

President Donald Trump said Thursday he would “try and make” his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding over Memorial Day weekend but acknowledged the timing was “not good” amid ongoing tensions with Iran.

Trump made the remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, describing the event as a “small little private affair” in the Bahamas and conceding he might skip it.

“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,” Trump said, offering little enthusiasm.

The president cited a full agenda as his reason for potential absence, specifically highlighting the conflict with Iran. “I’m in the midst – I said: ‘You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things,'” he explained.

The Middle East situation has not prevented Trump from attending a UFC event in Miami, a PGA Tour championship at his Doral golf club, or playing several rounds of golf himself.

Don Jr., 48, the president’s eldest child, was previously married to fashion model Vanessa Haydon in 2005 at Mar-a-Lago; Trump’s sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, officiated. That marriage produced five children.

Don Jr. became engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2020 but ended the relationship in 2024; Guilfoyle now serves as U.S. ambassador to Greece. His current fiancée is Bettina Anderson, a 39-year-old socialite and model from a prominent Palm Beach banking family.

The couple made their first public appearance together at Trump’s inauguration in January 2025. They did not follow the example of Tricia Nixon, who married in the White House Rose Garden in 1971.

Trump has seen his political standing weaken in recent weeks, with opinion polls showing his approval rating at an all-time low.

Asked whether the economic impact of the Iran war was motivating a deal, Trump stated, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”

The president acknowledged that attending a lavish wedding in the Bahamas could appear tone-deaf when millions of Americans face rising gas and food costs. “That’s one I can’t win on,” Trump said. “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. No, but he’s got a very – a person who I’ve known for a long time, and hopefully they’re going to have a great marriage.”

Unlike his potential absence for Don Jr., Trump was prominently present at his daughter Ivanka’s wedding to Jared Kushner in 2009 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He later tweeted, “Ivanka and Jared’s wedding was spectacular, and they make a beautiful couple. I’m a very proud father.”