Jimmy Fallon ridicules Melania over her excuse for missing Trump's Ireland trip

Kathleen O'BoyleTue, September 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM UTC

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Jimmy Fallon digs into Melania Trump's excuse for missing Ireland -Credit:NBC/Getty

Jimmy Fallon has poked fun at Donald Trump’s explanation for why his wife, Melania Trump, did not join him on his latest trip to Ireland.

The late-night host addressed Melania’s absence on Monday night after the president explained that the first lady decided not to make the trip across the Atlantic with him. Trump, 80, was speaking at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Dublin when he addressed why Melania, 56, was not there with him.

“My wife is here in spirit. She’s watching right now. She said, ‘Say hello,’ because she was very friendly with these two people. I said, ‘Well, why don’t you come with me?’ She said, ‘Well, it’s a seven-hour trip. Maybe I’m not that friendly,’” he said, which came after Melania's whereabouts were confirmed.

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Fallon had his own explanation for Melania’s decision to stay home. “Trump said Melania skipped the trip because it was a seven-hour flight, yeah. Asked where she went for the weekend, Trump said, ‘Australia,’” Fallon quipped.

Fallon continued to joke about Trump’s attempts to convince his wife to make the journey. “Yeah, Trump really wanted Melania to be there,” continued the host. “He even tried bribing her with a check for $5,000.”

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Melania was missing from Trump's Ireland trip -Credit:AFP via Getty Images

The comments came as Trump spent two days in Ireland, including a visit to his Doonbeg resort, while Melania remained in the U.S. Trump also said that his wife “sends her regards.”

Instead of Melania, Trump was accompanied on the trip by Natalie Harp, his 35-year-old aide who has become a familiar face around the president. Harp, whom the president has referred to as his "most beautiful" aide, has previously drawn attention for her close devotion to Trump and has been described as a “human printer.”

Harp has also raised security concerns over her relationship with the president and her previous writings about him. She has written intimate letters declaring that Trump is “all that matters” to her.

Other members of Trump’s family were also in Ireland during the trip, including his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., along with their wives and children.

Jimmy Fallon rips into Melania's excuse -Credit:Tonight Show

Melania’s absence appears to be a pattern during her husband's second term, with the first lady keeping a relatively low public profile. She has skipped several high-profile events and kept her public workload limited. She also went an entire month between July and August without making a public appearance.

After months of questions surrounding Melania’s absence and Harp’s presence, Melania’s spokesman, Marc Beckman, pushed back against the coverage.

“The liberal media is ridiculous,” Beckman said. “They don’t know anything about the first lady’s personal and private life. They don’t even take the time to put us on air to cover these incredible achievements that our first lady has accomplished.”

Melania eventually returned to the public eye for a memorial service marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”