President Donald Trump's trip to China was billed as a high-stakes diplomatic summit with President Xi Jinping, but with one notable exception: the first lady was nowhere to be found.

Melania Trump, who had attended the 2017 Xi summit and appeared alongside both leaders and their spouses, sat this one out entirely because, according to her office, she was attending the six-month anniversary of an unnamed initiative connected to children and foster care programs. The announcement flabbergasted legal and political commentator Michael Popok, host of the podcast "The Intersection with Michael Popok," who said on a new episode on Thursday that he had no clue what Melania Trump was referring to.

"Where is Melania?" Popok asked. "She had to stay back because they're celebrating the six-month anniversary. Is that even a thing? I defy anybody ... to tell me what she stands for and what she's done to help America, America's families, or children. Name one thing of substance that's concrete."

"And at the moment when Trump needed backup and support, he ended up going with Brett Ratner as his plus one to the state dinners, along with his kids, because Melania refuses to be the first lady," he added.

Popok was even more incredulous that Melania's office appeared caught off guard by details of the trip itself. Her spokespersons said she had no idea Ratner, her own documentarian, had traveled to China with her husband as part of the presidential delegation.

At a moment when a first lady's presence traditionally serves as a stabilizing piece of soft diplomacy, Melania's absence only amplified the sense of disorder surrounding the visit, Popok argued.

"One husband doesn't know what the other wife is doing," he said.

Rick Jackson is running to be the Republican nominee for governor in Georgia — but his wife may have different allegiances.

According to filings from the Federal Election Commission, Melody Jackson, the candidate's spouse, gave a $1,000 contribution to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in February 2025 — a key Democratic lawmaker that Republicans were hoping to seriously contest this year.

The filing lists the donor's city, state, and ZIP code as Cumming, Georgia 30041 — the same ZIP code as Rick Jackson's 47,000-square-foot estate known as "Le Reve," and lists her occupation as "professor" at "Georgia Tech," matching her public profile.

Jackson, a billionaire who runs the company Jackson Healthcare, has faced other awkward contradictions on the campaign trail as well.

Last month, for example, reports discovered that his company slammed President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," saying in a statement that the legislation's "sweeping cuts to Medicaid and ACA programs raise serious concerns about access, equity, and sustainability," warning that hospitals may need to "adapt or close their doors."

Jackson has a handful of endorsements, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Georgia House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, and former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton.

However, he faces a crowded field of challengers, including state Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Perhaps his most notable challenger is Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump himself.

CNN commentator Ana Navarro criticized President Donald Trump for including filmmaker Brett Ratner in his official delegation to China, citing Ratner's history of sexual harassment allegations.

Ratner, who directed Melania Trump's documentary for Amazon, traveled on Air Force One as part of the U.S. delegation at taxpayer expense. Navarro noted, "But let us remember, Brett Ratner had been basically banished from Hollywood in 2017 because there were very serious sexual predatory allegations against him."

She also emphasized that his name appears throughout the Epstein files due to his association with the disgraced financier.

Navarro expressed particular concern over Ratner being possibly "brought back and rehabilitated by Donald Trump."

Navarro said, "I find it appalling," and urged viewers to research the women who publicly accused Ratner of sexual harassment and assault.

Watch the video below.