Hillary Clinton Attended Donald And Melania Trump's Wedding Before Their Political Feud
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Despite the intense and bitter political rivalry that would later unfold between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, there was a time when their relationship was cordial enough for her to attend his wedding. The year was 2005, and Donald, marrying for the third time, invited many famous guests. Some of the big names present were Matt Lauer, Muhammad Ali, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
This wasn't the only time Donald had shown that he liked the Clintons. Numerous photos of the Clintons with the Trumps at the wedding reception hinted at a friendly acquaintanceship between the two wealthy families. Additionally, Trump publicly stood behind the couple when Bill was accused of sexual misconduct. He said (via Buzzfeed News), "I think she's been through more than any woman should have to bear, everything public. I mean, women go through this on a private basis and can't take it. She's on the front page of every newspaper every week with what went on in Washington. I think she's a wonderful woman."
Trump even lauded Hillary after she lost the democratic party ticket to Barack Obama. "Hillary is a very smart woman, very tough woman. That's fine, but she's also a very nice person. And I know Hillary and I know her husband very well. They are fine people" (via Spectrum News).
The Clintons didn't invite Donald Trump to their daughter's wedding in 2010
Donald Trump might have considered the Clintons close, but we're willing to guess it was a little one-sided. Five years after Donald married Melania Trump, the Clintons' daughter, Chelsea, got married. And though Bill and Hillary Clinton had been invited to Donald's 350-guest party, they didn't invite Trump to their daughter's wedding, which had 500 guests.
According to excerpts from Joe Conason's book, "Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton," Donald Trump, who has a reputation as a wedding crasher, was pretty sure he'd been omitted by accident. The businessman had called Doug Band, saying, "I'm supposed to be at the wedding, Doug, but I didn't receive the invitation, and I need to know where to go." Following an inconclusive response from Band, Donald eventually gave up.
Despite being exempted from the wedding, he still had pleasant words to say about Hillary in 2012. In a conversation with Fox News (via Politico), he explained the reason for his praises: "I am biased because I have known her for years. I live in New York. She lives in New York. I really like her and her husband both a lot. I think she really works hard."
Hillary Clinton's wedding attendance became a point of conflict during the 2015 presidential campaign
The relationship between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is best summed up by former U.S. Representative William Clay's quote: "There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests." And the moment Hillary's success stood against Donald's interests, the Clintons became his enemies. During the brutal presidential campaign where Donald and Hillary contested for the presidency, he attacked the couple at every turn, even switching sides regarding Bill's White House scandals in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
Donald's brash nature soon attracted criticism to everyone who'd previously been involved with him, and he made sure to remind everyone that Hillary was once in his closest circles. "Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding, and she came to my wedding. She had no choice because I gave to a foundation," he said during a debate (via CNN). However, Hillary's side of the story claimed that she only attended because she was in the state and "thought it would be fun." In February 2016, she firmly told People Magazine that she and Trump "were not friends."