Key Facts

• President Trump announced he would not attend his son Don Jr.’s wedding because of government responsibilities.
• Trump cited the need to stay in Washington during an important time and hinted at issues involving Iran as a reason.
• A memo written by Joe Biden in 2014 instructed staff not to sacrifice important family events like weddings for work.
• Biden’s memo mentioned family occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, religious ceremonies, graduations, illness, or loss.
• Biden’s memo stated that missing family responsibilities for work would be personally disappointing to him.
• The Biden memo was shared online by Andrew Weinstein, an official from the Obama-Biden administration, drawing attention to the difference in approach.
• Social media users compared the two situations, with some praising Biden’s empathy and others defending Trump’s decision due to his presidential duties.
• President Biden has publicly spoken about the importance of family, shaped partly by personal losses he experienced in his life.