Why Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago Wedding Speech Is Raising Eyebrows
When Donald Trump left the White House for Florida (conveniently missing Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony), no one really expected him to go into a quiet retirement. Over the past two months, the former president has managed to find ways to remain in the public eye and do what he loves best — making his opinions known. His first post-presidential public appearance was at the Conservative Political Action Committee.
He has made TV appearances criticizing President Biden's first press conference (he felt the reporters didn't ask hard enough questions) and suggesting that the administration has a secret plan to put Vice President Kamala Harris in office by proving that Biden is mentally unfit for the job. He's also come out in support of prominent Republicans who stood by him during his time in the Oval Office. And just to vary things a little, he reportedly opined on the Oprah interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, telling one of his former advisers that Markle is "no good" (via Fox News).
Over the weekend, Donald Trump did his latest bit of soapboxing, this time during an unexpected occasion.
Donald Trump talked about himself at a wedding reception
John and Megan Arrigo were married over the weekend at the Mar-a-Lago retreat where Trump makes his home. The reception featured a surprise guest — the former president, who stepped up to offer a toast. Instead of offering his words of wisdom on marriage (he's had three wives, after all), as seen in this footage from TMZ, Trump's speech sounded more like a plug for his 2024 campaign. In the course of two minutes, he managed to bash President Biden's policies on China, Iran, and the Mexican border ("the worst it's ever been"). Naturally, Trump couldn't resist bringing up the election results and his (unproven) suspicions that the voting was rigged. "Do you miss me yet?" he asked, to applause.
Finally, he seemed to remember what the point of the evening was. "It's an honor to be here, and it's an honor to have you at Mar-a-Lago," he told the Arrigos. "You are a great and beautiful couple, and to many, many years of great happiness."
The video quickly made social media rounds, prompting many responses on Twitter. Comedian John Fugelsang tweeted, "Living full-time at Mar-a-Lago now allows Trump to ruin weddings; beyond his own." Writer Kurt Eichenwald tweeted in part, "How much of a narcissist can one person be to hijack a wedding so he can talk about himself?" And Keith Olbermann, the sports and political commentator, had just two words for Donald Trump: "Has. Been." (via Twitter)