President Donald Trump said 'My wife is here' during remarks in Dublin on Saturday, 12 September, before immediately adding that first lady Melania Trump was there 'in spirit.' Melania did not accompany him on the Ireland trip, and Trump recounted her joking that the journey was 'a seven-hour trip.'
The exchange came one day after Melania appeared alongside Trump at the Pentagon for events marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Earlier in the week, she also did not attend Trump's Republican midterm convention appearances in Dallas on 9 and 10 September.