Donald and Melania Trump's 13th wedding anniversary on Monday came and went quietly, with neither commenting on it publicly or on social media. The Trumps' anniversary was in stark contrast to the Obamas', who publicly celebrated their marriage on social media by tweeting about each other and sharing photos of love notes over the years.
On the day of his anniversary, Trump took to Twitter to blame Democrats for the government shutdown. "The Democrats are turning down services and security for citizens in favor of services and security for non-citizens. Not good!" he wrote on Monday, along with two more tweets criticizing them for shutting down the government "in the interests of their far left base."
As for the first lady, her last tweet was on Jan. 20, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the president' inauguration with a picture without Trump that raised some eyebrows.
But on the day of their anniversary itself, the Trumps offered no romantic declarations or the like on social media. No spokesperson informed the media of any plans for dinner or a celebratory gathering, according to The Washington Post. Online, there was little to no official mention of their 13th anniversary. The Instagram account for the GOP, however, did post a photo of the couple commemorating their wedding anniversary on Tuesday.
Melania also abruptly canceled her trip accompanying Trump to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, due to "scheduling and logistics issues," according to spokesperson and communications director Stephanie Grisham.
This development comes amid a Wall Street Journal report that Trump reportedly had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels while Melania was expecting their first child, Barron Trump. The president's lawyer has vehemently denied the affair allegations; Daniels had reportedly spoke to the media about it years ago, but denies it now, too.
In contrast to the Trumps, former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were famous for their anniversary messages. In 2015, the Obamas celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary by sharing photos of the couple. Obama tweeted, "Twenty-three years and still going strong. Here's to many more. #Happy Anniversary." The photo in Obama's tweet showed the couple could standing together in the Diplomatic Reception room of the White House, with Michelle smiling brightly as Obama leaned against her. For their 24th wedding anniversary, Obama tweeted a photo of himself with his wife and said, "Side-by-side for 24 years. Here's to many more."
The Obamas are also known for their social media posts on birthday celebrations. In January, Michelle shared a photo of flowers and a card from Obama on Instagram. "You’re my best friend, biggest fan, and getting notes and flowers from you will never get old," she wrote in the post.
This isn't the first time that Trump's relationship with the first lady has come under public scrutiny. During a trip to Israel in May 2017, news cameras caught Melania swatting Trump's hand away as he tried to reach for her. At the time, body language expert Patti Wood told Bustle, "There is evidence that [Donald and Melania] are not happy."
This year's wedding anniversary for the Trumps is also different from how they usually celebrate the big day. In January 2016, Harper's magazine interviewed Melania about her life as the wife of then-Republican candidate Trump, and Melania said that for their 10th wedding anniversary in 2015, Trump gave her a 25 carat diamond ring which was reportedly worth $3 million.
To be fair, the first lady is known as an intensely private person. Donald and Melania Trump may well have celebrated their first wedding anniversary in the White House behind closed doors, sans public declarations of love. Perhaps in the coming years the couple might change how they celebrate marking another year of marriage.
