Melania Trump is not joining President Donald Trump’s US delegation for his three-day trip to China. The first lady’s absence from the trip comes as a surprise, as she accompanied Trump in his 2017 visit to China during his first presidency.
Melania Trump skips China trip with Donald Trump
Melania Trump did not accompany Donald Trump on his recent three-day visit to China. Shortly before the president’s departure, Melania’s office sent an email response to the South China Morning Post, confirming that the first lady will not be joining the trip.
“First lady Melania Trump is not travelling this time,” a spokesperson stated in the email. Her office has not provided any further comments or explanation for the absence.
While Melania Trump is skipping the trip, the South China Morning Post recently reported that Brett Ratner, the director of the documentary Melania and the Rush Hour franchise, will be joining the Trump delegation to China.
Ratner is reportedly working on reviving the Rush Hour franchise with a new installment, Rush Hour 4. During his stay in China, he will reportedly meet with potential actors, crew members, and Chinese film distribution partners. According to the source, Ratner is also planning on filming most of the new movie in China.
Following multiple sexual assault allegations and association with Jeffrey Epstein, Ratner made a comeback, directing and producing the controversial documentary, Melania. Amazon acquired the film for US$75 million.
Besides Ratner, Trump’s high-profile delegation to China will include Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Tim Cook of Apple, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, and more tech giants.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also joined Trump on his visit to China. Most recently, he stated that Washington is hoping to convince Beijing to play a “more active role” in resolving the ongoing Iran conflict that remains at a stalemate.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Rubio said that the Iran war “threatens to destabilise Asia more than any other part of the world because it’s heavily reliant on the straits for energy.”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory
