Donald Trump Skips Donald Trump Jr. Wedding to Bettina Anderson in Florida

President Donald Trump said he will not attend the wedding this weekend of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to socialite Bettina Anderson, writing on Truth Social that "circumstances pertaining to Government" and his "love for the United States of America" do not allow him to go.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, "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," while also saying, "This is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things."

ABC News

Multiple outlets reported the couple legally married on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Florida, with TMZ citing a marriage certificate and the Palm Beach County records described by The Hill.

CNN’s account said Anderson had initially expressed interest in getting married at the White House, but the groom didn’t think it was appropriate given the US-Israel war with Iran, and the couple instead chose a small, exclusive ceremony on an island in the Bahamas.

The Hill said Trump Jr. married Bettina Anderson on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla., and that a private wedding celebration is expected to take place Saturday in the Bahamas, with the president previously citing government business and "my love for the United States of America" for not attending.

People reported the couple is hoping to celebrate nuptials at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at some point in the future, with a Palm Beach source saying they wanted to tie the knot before events for the nation's 250th anniversary and before summer and fall storms in South Florida and the Caribbean begin.

BBC

CNBC said Trump Jr. and Anderson had legally married on Thursday in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the president’s Mar-a-Lago club is located, and it added that Trump told reporters he would try to attend but called it "not good timing" because of Iran and other issues.

Crossroadstoday, citing CNN, described the Bahamas plan as a small, exclusive island ceremony and said extra security precautions were put in place after the wedding’s location was leaked earlier this week.

The Hill said Trump Jr. announced his engagement to Anderson in December and that he was previously married to Vanessa Trump, with the two having five children, including Kai Trump, and it also noted Trump Jr. was previously engaged to U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Crossroadstoday said the groom’s siblings Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump were expected to attend with their spouses, and it listed Trump Jr.’s five children—Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe—ranging from 11 to 19 years old.

CNBC reported that Trump Jr. runs the Trump Organization with his brother Eric and that Anderson, 39, has worked as a model and is active in charitable activities in Palm Beach, Florida, while also noting Vanessa Trump’s breast cancer diagnosis.

TMZ said the couple’s Thursday legal marriage was a formality before their upcoming ceremony on a private island in the Bahamas, and it added that President Donald Trump has already said he will not be attending the wedding festivities.