First lady Melania Trump is making an unexpected trip to Rome and will have an airplane meal aboard Air Force One for her 55th birthday, according to President Donald Trump.
“She’s got a working birthday,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. The Trumps are flying to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, which is also the first lady’s 55th birthday.
Asked if he’ll take her to dinner, Trump said amid some laughter that, “I’ll take her for dinner on the Boeing. I’ll take her for dinner on Air Force One.”
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart the White House to travel to Rome, at the White House, in Washington, D.C., on Friday, April 25, 2025.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart the White House to travel to Rome, at the White House, in Washington, D.C., on Friday, April 25, 2025.
Associated Press
Melania Trump’s Catholic Faith
Melania Trump is a practicing Roman Catholic, a faith she has embraced since her upbringing in Slovenia, a predominantly Catholic country. Her religious beliefs became publicly known following her 2017 visit to the Vatican, where she met Pope Francis and had a rosary blessed by him. After the meeting, her spokesperson confirmed her Catholic faith, making her the first Catholic First Lady since Jacqueline Kennedy.
Despite her private nature regarding personal matters, Melania’s faith has been evident in her actions. She has participated in religious ceremonies and visited Catholic institutions, such as the Vatican’s children’s hospital, where she laid flowers at a statue of the Madonna.
President Trump was confirmed into the Presbyterian Church and long identified as a mainline Protestant. But in an interview with Religion News Service in 2020, he said he identified as a nondenominational Christian, placing him among the largest and fastest-growing segments of American Protestantism.
His religious messaging has intensified since a failed assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year. “God was watching me,” he said during the National Prayer Breakfast in February.
The Trump’s Itinerary During Pope Francis Funeral Trip
The president and first lady are set to arrive in Rome on Friday night. The Trumps are staying at Villa Taverna, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Italy. This marks Donald Trump’s first international trip since returning to office in January 2025. Pope Francis’ funeral is expected to draw over 200,000 attendees, including numerous world leaders and dignitaries.
Aboard Air Force One, Trump repeated his plans to meet with “some people in Rome” including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. But he also suggested to reporters on Air Force One flying to Rome that such meetings would come “a little bit quickly” and added, “Frankly, it’s a little disrespectful to have meetings when you’re at the funeral of a Pope.”
Trump nonetheless insisted, “I’ll be talking to people. I’ll be seeing a lot of people.”
One person he doesn’t expect to see is former President Joe Biden. Trump said he didn’t know his predecessor would be at Pope Francis’ funeral and, asked if they’d meet, said, “It’s not high on my list. It’s really not.”
Following the funeral, President Trump is expected to return to the United States on Saturday evening.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Update: 4/25/25, 3:03 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 4/25/25, 4:39 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.