Donald Trump skips court to attend mother-in-law’s funeral with wife Melania and son Barron
Donald Trump skipped court to attend the funeral of his mother-in-law on Thursday, whom he credited with making his son Barron so tall with her home cooking.
The former president, 77, sat in the front row of the private church service for Amalija Knavs with his wife Melania and their 17-year-old son.
Wearing a black dress and sunglasses, Mrs Trump and her father, Viktor Knavs, had earlier led a procession to the church, followed by Mr Trump and Barron.
They then waited on the steps as the coffin was lifted from the hearse and taken into the church.
Mr Trump had previously credited his son’s 6ft 7in stature to his grandmother’s talents in the kitchen.
Speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, he paid tribute to the late Slovenian textile worker who died in Miami after an undisclosed illness on 9 January.
“Boy, did she take care of Barron”, Mr Trump said. “That’s how he got so tall, he only ate her food.”
Mrs Trump, the former First Lady also praised her mother’s cooking as she delivered an emotional eulogy at the funeral, which was held at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, where she and Mr Trump tied the knot in 2005.
“With her passion for cooking, she transported every dish, which she curated with her spices from her garden, to new heights”, she said.
“I’m fortunate that she taught me many of her secrets to creating the signature delights.”
Offering an insight into Ms Knavs’s love for Barron, Mrs Trump said he had been her “compass and focus” and described how she “left the familiarity of homeland to be with her newborn grandson in the United States.”
“She showered her grandson Baron with affection, illuminating his world with love, tender care and unwavering devotion”, she added.
Mrs Trump also described how her mother had “exuded an exquisite sense of pride as my husband became the president of the United States, and as I embarked on a grand odyssey travelling the corners of the globe as the First Lady.”
“Our bond was unbreakable,” she said. “A testament to the power of a true love for one another.
“She was my dear friend, an irreplaceable treasure, a gift bestowed upon me by the universe. And for that I am entirely grateful.”
After she finished her speech, Mrs Trump touched her fingers to her lips and placed them on her mother’s coffin.
She then kissed her father on the cheek before returning to her seat next to Barron and Mr Trump in the pews.
Among the guests who attended the service were two of Mr Trump’s other children Tiffany and Ivanka.
On Wednesday night, the former president flew to Florida for the funeral after holding a campaign rally in New Hampshire.
He wrote on his Truth Social network that he will return to campaigning on Friday, but “today will be devoted to the funeral (Celebration!!!) of a GREAT WOMAN, Babi, the Beloved Mother of Melania and Grandmother of Barron — And what a Woman she was!!!”
Earlier on Thursday, he had been present in court in New York for his E Jean Carroll civil defamation case.
He had criticised “nasty” Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the trial, for refusing to postpone the hearing to attend Ms Knavs’s funeral.
