President Donald Trump scrambled to evade a simple question about whether he celebrated Valentine’s Day with his wife, Melania.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether he’d done anything special on Feb. 14 with the first lady, whom he has been married to for more than 20 years, or whether he bothered to get her any flowers to celebrate the big day.
“I better not tell you that, goodbye everybody,” Trump replied while sheepishly laughing. “That’s the toughest question.”
Trump further swerved from any public display of affection toward his wife by promoting her formal role as first lady, as well as her vanity documentary, Melania.
“I’m proud of the fact that her movie is so successful. It’s a tremendous hit, and she does a good job,” Trump said.
“She does some very consequential work. I think you’re going to see in the end that she’s going to go down as one of the truly great first ladies when you see what she’s doing with Russia, Ukraine, and so many of the other things she’s doing. She’s done a good job,” the president added. “She works very hard.”
Another reporter on Air Force One then helped shift the conversation by asking whether Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was invited to the upcoming National Governors Association event at the White House. Trump previously announced that Moore, the only Black governor in the U.S., was not invited to the typically bipartisan dinner, along with fellow Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado.
Trump claimed that Melania has been successful even though it suffered a huge decline in box office sales in its third week.
The documentary, which follows the first lady during the 20 days leading up to Trump’s inauguration last January, saw a 62 percent drop in attendance compared to the previous week, according to data from IMDbPro.
While the first lady’s vanity project has grossed more than $15.4 million, it is a far cry from the $75 million Amazon spent to produce and promote the movie. Amazon MGM Studios distribution chief Kevin Wilson insisted that Melania will make up for its lackluster box office performance and help recover some of its losses when it appears on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.
“Together, theatrical and streaming represent two distinct value-creating moments that amplify the film’s overall impact,” Wilson said after Melania recorded a huge 67-percent drop-off at the box office in its second weekend.
