Melania Trump’s Low-Key Birthday After Dramatic Shooting Incident

WASHINGTON — First Lady Melania Trump marked her birthday quietly at the White House on Sunday, right after the distressing shooting incident that occurred during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner the previous night.

At 56 years old and originally from Slovenia, she was said to be “persisting well” despite the chaotic events of Saturday evening, according to a spokesperson who spoke to The Post on Monday.

Melania’s staff in the East Wing celebrated her special day by presenting her with flowers and a card. The White House even shared a message on social media stating, “Happy Birthday to our wonderful First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump!”

The first lady’s birthday arrives just before the scheduled state visit from the British King and Queen, following the shooting at a Washington Hilton dinner party.

During the incident, Melania was seated at the top table with her husband and White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt when a 31-year-old man named Cole Allen reportedly confronted a Secret Service checkpoint with a long gun, intent on targeting the president and key officials.

She seemingly reacted with surprise upon hearing the gunfire.

Footage from the event captured the moment President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were hurriedly escorted off the stage, while Melania was seen crawling out from beneath the table to join her husband behind a protective circle of Secret Service agents.

Not long after, she appeared in the White House briefing room alongside President Trump and other officials, looking visibly shaken as the president recounted previous attempts on his life.

During the incident, President Trump remarked, “Mrs. Melania was aware of this. It was quite a traumatic experience for her.” He added that although he had faced similar situations before, it was Melania’s first experience with such violence. “She handled it beautifully,” he noted during an interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”

This marks the third assassination attempt against him, having previously survived a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, and an encounter with a would-be assassin on a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024. In those cases, Melania was not present but had watched the Butler incident unfold on television.

“When I see him on the floor, I don’t know what happened, I don’t know what happened,” she recounted to Fox News.

Following the shooting, Melania Trump issued a two-page statement calling for an end to political violence while expressing her gratitude to law enforcement.

“When I saw that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I knew my life and Barron’s were on the brink of a catastrophic change. I am grateful to the brave Secret Service and law enforcement officers who risked their lives to protect my husband,” she stated.

This week, security is a major concern as King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in Washington for a four-day state visit starting Monday afternoon.

The president and first lady plan to welcome the royal family at the White House and host a state dinner for around 120 guests on Tuesday.

Since the shootings in Pennsylvania, Melania has been particularly mindful of security matters.

In a self-titled documentary, she voiced her concerns regarding security measures for the January 2025 inauguration, stating, “Is it safe? Because if we’re going to go out, I think people already know where we’re going to go out. So I’m like, how can that be safe, especially with what’s been going on over the last year?” She added, “I have concerns.”