Donald and Melania Trump marked 13 years of marriage on Monday, but signs of a celebration were conspicuously absent.
In a whirlwind news day focused primarily on the government shutdown, the first couple exchanged no public notes of endearment. The day came and went with no tweets, no Instagrams, no mention of a private dinner on the President’s schedule.
And in the evening, it was announced that the first lady would no longer be joining the President on his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to her communications director Stephanie Grisham, who cited “scheduling and logistical issues” and declined to provide further details.
The White House and the East Wing did not respond to CNN’s request for details on how the couple spent their anniversary.
A lavish wedding
The couple was married in Palm Beach on January 22, 2005, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church followed by a lavish reception at Mar-a-Lago, attended by the likes of Hillary and Bill Clinton, Anna Wintour, Simon Cowell, Usher and Billy Joel.
Per a report from People Magazine at the time, guests dined on beef tenderloin and caviar and Joel “serenaded the crowd with ‘Just the Way You Are’ — and made up lyrics about Trump to the tune of ‘The Lady is a Tramp.’ ”
The bride was exclusively photographed by Vogue in her custom John Galliano Dior wedding dress, which, per former editor-at-large André Leon Talley, cost $230,000 and took eight hours to fit during a trip to Paris.
Donald Trump commemorated their 10th anniversary with a 25-carat diamond ring for Melania, Harper’s Bazaar reported in 2016.
Precedent
The first couple did not celebrate their 12th anniversary together last year — the first lady returned to New York at the end of a jam-packed inaugural weekend.
Their predecessors celebrated anniversaries with private outings across town in years past.
Barack and Michelle Obama, who post romantic messages on social media each October 3, celebrated eight anniversaries in office, departing the White House to dine at local restaurants, including Georgetown’s Bourbon Steak, Alexandria’s Restaurant Eve and West End’s Blue Duck Tavern.
George W. and Laura Bush had private dinners around town to celebrate each November 5.
Melania lately
The notoriously private Melania Trump has not made a public statement since January 12, when news of a possible payoff from her husband’s lawyer to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The first lady did, however, depart with the President later that day to Mar-a-Lago for the long holiday weekend, although she was not spotted with him during two evening dinners hosted by Trump, one with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and another with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
On Saturday, Melania Trump marked the one-year anniversary of her husband’s inauguration by tweeting an image to mark the occasion that did not include the President, but rather was of herself, her arm linked with a military escort, at Trump’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony.
She posted that the past year had been filled with “many wonderful moments,” but she did not mention the President by name.