Donald Trump Jr. reportedly married his fiancée, Bettina Anderson, on Saturday, May 23, in an intimate ceremony in the Bahamas. While President Donald Trump already confirmed skipping his son’s wedding because of “circumstances pertaining to Government,” his wife Melania Trump’s absence has reportedly fueled speculation about family tensions. According to reports, Barron also skipped his elder half-brother’s wedding.

A source close to the development shared with Rob Shuter for his Substack page Naughty But Nice that Melania Trump has long been emotionally distant from her stepchildren and did not intend to spend an entire weekend dealing with tense and complicated family relationships. “That tension has existed for years, even if nobody says it publicly,” the source said.

Melania and Trump’s son, Barron Trump, also missed the wedding and is reportedly distant from his older step-siblings. “Barron grew up in a completely different world from Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany,” the source elucidated further, acknowledging the “emotional distance” between them, which the source claimed everyone in the family is aware of.

According to sources, the wedding’s atmosphere reportedly grew more tense after Vanessa Trump announced her breast cancer diagnosis last week. Insiders also claimed that the alleged assassination threat involving Ivanka Trump became the biggest concern, with attention quickly moving away from the celebrations toward security and safety precautions.

“The second the Ivanka situation surfaced, the wedding stopped feeling like a celebration. The entire family went straight into security mode,” said an insider. The insider also added that security surrounding Ivanka and the extended Trump family has increased significantly. 

The tipster added that parties are not the main priority any longer and suggested that the focus has instead shifted toward concern, heightened caution, and increased security measures.

It was on Friday that the POTUS took to his Truth Social and confirmed that he wouldn’t be attending Trump Jr. and Bettina’s wedding. He mentioned that, though he wanted to be there for his son’s big day, “circumstances pertaining to Government,” and his “love for the United States of America” don’t permit him to do so.

“I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time. Congratulations to Don and Bettina!” he had further added.

According to The New York Times, just a day prior, while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he had already dropped hints about missing the occasion. Though Trump had said that he would “try” to make it, he also mentioned that it was not “good timing” for him. “I have a thing called Iran and other things,” he had said.

However, the newlywed couple gives two hoots about the absence of their closest family members. Right after the wedding, Bettina posted a monochromatic image on her Instagram story capturing a mushy moment as she held her husband’s hand. “Forever mine, forever yours,” followed by a white heart emoji, she had written in the caption.

Trump Jr. has five children from his first marriage to Vanessa Trump.