Trump leaves White House for dinner with Melania at the Vances amid govt shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump proved trolls wrong, who wondered why the POTUS hadn't been seen in three days amid the government shutdown, after appearing alongside first lady Melania Trump at a dinner hosted by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance.

The president made no public appearances on Wednesday, October 1, Thursday, October 2, and Friday, October 3, driving some on the opposite side of the political aisle, including top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, to hysterics.

JD Vance invites 'boss over for dinner'

Sharing a photo from the dinner, JD Vance wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, "It's always a good time when you get to have the boss over for dinner!"

"Usha and I were so grateful that President Trump and our lovely First Lady, Melania, could join us for dinner at the Vice President's Residence last night," the 41-year-old added.

The picture shared by Vance shows Melania and Usha beaming in elegant ensembles, while the president and the vice president grinned in suits and ties.

Melania wore a leather dress, while Usha appeared in a black top and blazer with a white and black-patterned long skirt. 

Trump's lack of public appearances made some Democrats troll the POTUS.

Jeffries said on Friday at a press conference on Capitol Hill, "Throughout this week, Donald Trump has been missing in action. He remains in the presidential witness protection program."

When asked to respond to Jeffries' dig during her Friday afternoon briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "That's just more ridiculous fodder from Team Jeffries."

She added, "As you all know, because you're here every day, the president is literally working around the clock right now. He has a swearing-in ceremony, or he already did. He has several meetings on the books today. He literally works 24/7. Anyone who works in this place or covers this place, as you all do, knows that to be true."

"And Hakeem Jeffries and the Senate Democrats should get back to work in a few minutes and vote to reopen the government," Leavitt stressed.

White House says Trump did multiple press conferences in last two days

White House spokesperson Kush Desai informed the Daily Mail that Donald Trump "did multiple press conferences and in the last two days did an hour-long sit-down interview and secured a historic peace agreement in the Middle East."

Desai added that it is something "neither Joe Biden nor any other Democrat could ever dream of accomplishing."

He also specifically addressed the claims that Trump has been "missing," saying, "What’s missing is the Democrats' concern for everyday Americans who are reeling from the Democrats' government shutdown."

"Democrats should do some soul searching about why they care more about free health care for illegal aliens than American citizens," Desai added.

Interestingly, Trump last appeared in front of the press on Tuesday before this week's government shutdown that started at midnight.  

He held no public events on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

On Thursday, the conservative One America News Network aired a sit-down interview with the POTUS that had been pre-taped the day before.