It seems Donald Trump has been quite busy during his second term — so busy, in fact, that he apparently didn’t have time to buy a birthday present for his wife, Melania.
To be fair, it’s not easy to find time for gift shopping when you’re spending your days in the White House signing executive orders. Add to that the pressure of being accused by a federal judge of deporting a child without “meaningful process,” and being labeled a “disgrace” for his behavior at Pope Francis’ funeral, and it’s clear Trump has had a lot on his plate.
During a recent press conference, the President was asked if he had anything special planned for Melania’s birthday on April 26. His answer? He’s been “pretty busy” dealing with tariffs and hadn’t managed to get her anything yet.
However, Trump insisted he wouldn’t be showing up empty-handed. He hinted at a grand gesture instead, telling reporters on April 25, “I’ll take her to dinner on the Boeing — I’ll take her for dinner on Air Force One.”
Donald Trump and Melania have been married since 2005. (Alon Skuy/Stringer/Getty)
“I haven’t had much time to buy presents — I’ve been pretty busy. But it’s working out. People are starting to realize just how good tariffs are… for us.”
After Netflix’s The Residence offered a fictional glimpse into the many staffers who support a President inside the White House, it’s a bit surprising that not a single aide or assistant could step in to handle the challenging task of finding a gift for the First Lady. Then again, perhaps Trump prefers to add a personal touch to his birthday surprise.
Meanwhile, the 47th President has been keeping busy with his real focus: implementing tariffs on imported goods, particularly from China.
“I’ll take her to dinner on the Boeing, I’ll take her for dinner on Air Force One.” (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Stringer/Getty)
The ongoing trade war between the two countries has seen the U.S. impose escalating tariffs on Chinese goods. What started as reciprocal measures has since ballooned, first to 145 percent and then to a staggering 245 percent. Elsewhere in his trade strategy, Trump paused tariff plans for all other countries for 90 days, even as China raised tariffs on all U.S. goods to 125 percent and cut back exports of rare earth minerals.
Earlier this week, Trump walked back the eye-watering tariff rates on China, announcing that they would soon be lowered.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on April 22, the President said: “145 percent is very high, and it won’t be that high. It won’t be anywhere near that high. It’ll come down substantially. But it won’t be zero.”
