During a campaign stop in Iowa, US President Donald Trump revealed the pet name he uses for his wife Melania Trump, and admitted he finds it a little ‘terrible’. The speech to his supporters in Iowa followed just hours after Congress passed his ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ which includes tax cuts, deep reductions to Medicaid and food assistance programs, increased defence funding, and expanded funding for a crackdown on immigration. The bill’s passage followed a tense day marked by intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, Republican discord, and a record-breaking floor speech from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who strongly opposed the legislation.
“I remember saying to our great first lady…” he said before confessing, “I call her ‘First Lady’. Isn’t it terrible?”. He went on to explain that he uses this pet name every night, saying, “Good night, First Lady, my darling,” as a reminder of his role as president.
He said: “I’m saying ‘Good night, First Lady, my darling,’ because it reminds me that I’m president, that’s why. I said ‘First Lady, it’s terrible nobody wants to join our military force…”
First Lady, Melania Trump has maintained a relatively low public profile since returning to the White House in January.
However, she recently made a rare appearance at the Kennedy Center’s reopening and visited the Children’s National Hospital in Washington on Thursday.
During her hospital visit, Melania reportedly bonded with the children over their love for pop stars Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter. Her admiration for Swift stood in sharp contrast to her husband’s past comments.
His comment came during a “Salute to America” speech in Des Moines on the eve of the country’s 249th Independence Day. The fiery address touched on various topics including military recruitment struggles and the state of the US economy.
He said: “There can be no better birthday present for America than the phenomenal victory we achieved just hours ago when Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill to make America great again.”
The legislation makes permanent the 2017 tax cuts, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime pay, and pours billions into military and border security efforts.
It also includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs, drawing harsh criticism from Democrats who say the bill benefits the wealthy at the expense of the most vulnerable.