The latest viral moment from Mar-a-Lago didn’t come from a campaign rally or a high-profile fundraiser. Instead it unfolded at a wedding reception where a bride, a groom, and a ballroom full of guests suddenly found themselves with an unexpected plus one.
President Donald Trump stepped into the celebration and within moments went viral for his unexpected visit. The clip that set everything off came courtesy of Eric Metaxas. The conservative author and host of 'Socrates in the City' has crossed paths with Trump many times, but his newest encounter took place in a different place.
Metaxas posted a brief video of the exchange, later describing its context online. “Last night, at my friend Mike Wilkerson’s wedding at Mar-a-Lago, the President showed up. As he walked in, he pointed right at me and joked, ‘This is the guy who’s going to get me to heaven…’ ” he wrote.
In the footage, Trump moves toward the couple to offer congratulations, then shifts his attention to Metaxas. He gestures at him and tells the bride and groom, “He’s going to get me into heaven.” Metaxas replies, “I want to talk to him about getting into heaven… but not here. Not here.”
He later expanded on the moment in his caption, adding, “I laughed and told him, ‘I’d really like to talk to you about that… but another time.’ ” The 48-year-old groom, Mike Wilkerson, is known for his work with the Redemption Group Network.
His private Palm Beach celebration was never intended to include a presidential cameo, but guests didn’t seem surprised when Trump, who was in Florida that day, made an appearance at the resort.
Metaxas spoke to People and explained that their exchange didn’t come out of nowhere. “Every single time he tells me that he watches my show all the time,” he said of Trump’s fondness for 'Socrates in the City.'
“I assume he’s aware of my Christian faith and has heard me talk about it a fair amount on the show, which was what prompted him to say I could conceivably play some role in bringing him to a deeper faith," he added.
That idea isn’t entirely new for Trump. The president has publicly mused about heaven several times in recent months. In August, during a phone interview on Fox & Friends, he linked his desire to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal to his own spiritual destiny.
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible,” he said. He went on, “I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole.” The comment drew laughter from the hosts. “But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”