In keeping with presidential tradition, Donald Trump delivered a speech to freshly graduated cadets at West Point Military Academy.
"A lot of trophy wives, it doesn't work out," the president noted as he spoke to graduating cadets at the military academy.
But what was intended to be a solemn speech, in keeping with tradition, quickly deviated from its usual framework: Trump embarked on a lengthy tirade about “trophy wives”, a passage widely deemed strange and particularly inappropriate by many observers.
As the president shared his thoughts on real estate mogul William Levitt’s professional career, according to HuffPost and USA Today, Donald Trump embarrassingly veered into the latter’s personal life.
He claimed that Levitt had divorced him to marry a “trophy wife”, adding that “it didn’t end very well for him”.
Donald Trump, approaching his 79th birthday, still married to his third wife Melania Trump, 55, but whose conspicuous absence since the start of his second term has continued to fuel commentary, went on to deliver to the cadets his very personal take on “trophy wives”.
A moment which, unsurprisingly, elicited some discomfort: “I have to tell you, a lot of trophy wives, it doesn’t work.”
Trump concluded this very personal anecdote about the late William Levitt by declaring, “But it made him happy, at least for a while,” then adding that the man ended up remarrying another woman!