Trump says he won’t attend son Donald Trump Jnr’s wedding to Bettina Anderson

‘I have a thing called Iran,’ the US president had earlier said on why the timing of the event was bad for him

US ⁠President Donald Trump said on ⁠Friday he would not attend the ⁠wedding of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jnr, to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, because he has to stay in Washington for government business.

“While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the ‌Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, DC, at the White House during this important period of time,” the post continued.

The wedding ⁠happens this weekend on a small island in the Bahamas, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two people ‌familiar with the plans.

The couple is already legally married, according to a marriage licence filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Thursday. A spokesman for Trump ‌Jnr did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump told reporters on Thursday ⁠that Trump Jnr wanted ⁠his father to attend, but that it was going to be a “small private affair”.