Donald Trump, known for his unfiltered remarks, recently made a joke at the expense of his Slovenian wife, Melania Trump. The Republican nominee addressed a crowd in Atlanta, Georgia, joking about never going back to the First Lady after being kissed by a MAGA activist. Social media users, however, were quick to suggest that Melania ‘doesn’t need him.’
During his speech, Trump brought up Michael Montgomery, a conservative activist from the southern state and founder of Conserve the Culture, a grassroots campaigning group. Trump had previously met her at a Chick-fil-A earlier this year, where she thanked him for saving her college, Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), according to The Independent.
“This one is so smart, so sharp,” Trump said, introducing her to the MAGA crowd. “She grabbed me. She gave me a kiss. I said, ‘I think I’m never going back home to the First Lady,'” he recalled. Montgomery interjected, “Shh, you were supposed to keep that quiet!” Trump responded, “See, now, for the average politician, that’s death. For me, I don’t care.”
However, social media users were not pleased with his comments and took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their disapproval. The post garnered nearly 260K views and hundreds of comments. One critic, @heynowaj, said, “Wait, did I hear him correctly? ‘This one is smart?’ What does he mean ‘this one?’ Why am I offended by that? Melania doesn’t want him!”
Another user, @BrunoChieco6, added, “I don’t think Melania cares, Donald.” @TXBelle18 agreed, “She doesn’t!” More users chimed in, including @Chris0271624928, who said, “She’s celebrating,” and @RachLANY, who added, “She’s been waiting for the day…” @MerrillLynched also agreed, “I think Melania would be relieved.”
Others criticized Trump for publicly disrespecting his wife. @nomoretrump24 wrote, “And that’s funny why? Publicly demeaning your wife is disrespectful but then you know that don’t you Trump?” Meanwhile, a Trump supporter, @Frankiee44, defended him, saying, “Trump is known for his sarcasm, but some people tend to misinterpret his sarcastic remarks as genuine statements.”
Montgomery later took the stage to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly doing “nothing” for the Black community. Her comments echoed Trump’s recent racial attacks, questioning Harris’s heritage. Although Montgomery acknowledged Harris’s Black identity (with an Indian mother and Jamaican father), she insisted that the vice president emphasize her Indian roots over her Black identity. “A few days ago President Trump said he didn’t know Vice President Harris was a Black woman. I’m trying to figure out what all the outrage is about because she’s only Black when it’s time to get elected,” Montgomery defended.