Don Trump Jr., 48, got married over the weekend, but despite being the son of the all-powerful U.S. president, this time the bride did not get what she wanted: a wedding at the White House.
According to reports, Bettina Anderson, 39, Trump Jr.’s new wife, wanted to turn the presidential residence into her private event hall, but the groom had to disappoint her and explain that it would be better to abandon the idea because of the delicate and unclear situation involving Iran. Considering the shots fired early Sunday morning outside the White House, that was probably for the best.
In the end, the two married far from Washington, in a more pastoral setting, in an intimate ceremony in the Bahamas after obtaining their marriage license in advance in Florida. According to reports, only 40 guests attended the small event, mainly family members, including Don’s siblings Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany Trump.
It should be noted that although Bettina’s dream was shelved, it was not especially unusual: The White House has hosted 19 weddings over the years, three of them since 2000. The most recent person to enjoy that privilege was Naomi Biden, granddaughter of then-President Joe Biden, who married there in 2022, in calmer times. And the option is not reserved only for presidents and their families: Official White House photographer Pete Souza married in the Rose Garden in 2013.
Had Trump Jr. married there after all, it would have been the first wedding of a president’s son since 1828, when John Quincy Adams’ son married Mary Catherine Hellen.
One guest who did not attend the small wedding was the groom’s father, who said in advance that he would be unable to make it because he had a country to run.
Trump said he would have liked to be there for his son, Don Jr., and for Bettina, the newest addition to the Trump family, but that government matters and his commitment to the United States required him to remain at the White House in Washington during a critical period. He also congratulated the couple.
He later said in an interview that his son had wanted him to attend, but the wedding was planned as a small, private affair and the timing was impossible because of Iran and other pressing issues. Trump added that he felt he could not win either way, saying he would be attacked by the “fake news” whether he attended or stayed away. He said Bettina was someone he had known for a long time and expressed hope that the couple would have a successful marriage.
According to reports, the newlyweds considered moving the wedding date to the fall because of the security situation, but since no end appeared to be in sight, they decided to hold the wedding as originally planned.
The two became engaged in December 2025, and it was the president who announced the engagement to the media and the world. Their relationship began a year earlier as a small scandal: He had been engaged for four years to another woman, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and they split around the same time photos were published of him spending time with another woman — Anderson.
Associates said at the time: “Either Kimberly did not know about Bettina or she did not want to know. Did she hear rumors that Don was enjoying himself with other women? Probably. She is not stupid, but it is easy to fool yourself when you are so loyal to someone and believe he is loyal to you.”
This is Don Jr.’s second marriage. He was married to his previous wife, Vanessa Trump, for 13 years until their divorce in 2018, and they have five children together.