President Donald Trump surprised a bride and groom on Saturday night after he unexpectedly made an appearance at the couple’s wedding reception.
“It was a complete and utter surprise,” groom P.J. Mongelli told CNN. “He was such a gentleman. He was aces.”
The couple held the wedding party at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey and had reportedly sent the president multiple invitations, but had not heard back.
The Staten Island-based couple got engaged at the golf club in November 2017, and both the bride and groom, as well as the majority of guests in attendance, were Trump supporters.
The president initially surprised the wedding party when he stopped by the cocktail hour to meet Mongelli and his bride Nicole Marie.
A video circulated on social media showing Trump’s introduction to the happy couple and their families.
“Great job, you did a great job,” Trump told the father of the bride. He then complimented the “handsome” groom adding, “Look at his shoulders, nobody’s going to mess with him.”
“No one’s going to mess with you either,” the bride replied.
The bride and groom expressed their gratitude to the president before urging Trump to stop by the wedding reception for a few minutes later in the evening because they have something “beautifully planned” for him.
“Please, please, it would mean so much to us,” a person can be heard saying in the background.
“Staten Island is the greatest,” Trump responded when Mongelli told him that more than 200 guests from the area would be at the wedding reception that night. “I love it. I’ll see if I can stop by.”
The president followed through on his word and made a second appearance at the party later in the evening. The theme of the event was reportedly Trump’s 2016 presidential slogan “Make America Great Again” with MAGA-themed apparel and Trump flags.
Another video surfaced showing Trump embracing the bride and groom during the wedding party while the crowd cheers and repeatedly chants “USA, USA!”
The president has a history of making impromptu appearances to surprise his supporters. In 2017, he dropped into another wedding at the Bedminster golf club and took photographs with the wedding party.
He also made a surprise appearance with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a wedding reception at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
“I saw [the bride and groom] out on the lawn today. I said to the Prime Minister of Japan, I said ‘C’mon Shinzo, let’s go over and say hello.'” Trump said at the time. “They’ve been members of this club for a long time. They’ve paid me a fortune.”
The president spent the weekend at Trump National Golf Club before returning to Washington, D.C. on Sunday.