Before Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., proposed to his girlfriend Ginger Luckey, he said he sought approval from former President Donald Trump.

The couple met in March 2020 at the Trump's resort, Mar-a-Lago, while attending the birthday party of conservative pundit Kimberly Guilfoyle. After less than a year of dating, Gaetz spoke with Trump before popping the question.

Gaetz, 39, noted that “you never want to upstage the big guy” in explaining why he asked for Trump’s approval. Trump reportedly referred to the couple as a “dynamic duo” and sent over a bottle of his company’s champagne after Luckey accepted the proposal.

Gaetz and Luckey, 26, eloped over the weekend in a small ceremony on Catalina Island, off the coast of California.

Gaetz’s surprise nuptials comes amid a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations.

News of the probe broke in March and revealed that the government was looking into whether Gaetz began a relationship with a woman while she was still a minor, as well as sex trafficking, prostitution and public corruption laws. Gaetz, who has not been charged with a crime, has denied the accusations.

Joel M. Greenberg, an associate of Gaetz, pleaded guilty on May 14 to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a child, identity theft, stalking, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a public official. Greenberg admitted that he knowingly solicited and paid a minor for sex.

Gaetz has claimed he was the victim of “criminal extortion" and shared a lengthy tweet slamming the allegations and the investigation.

“Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name. We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter, and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI’s direction to catch these criminals,” he posted on March 30.

“The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation. I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations.”

Matt Gaetz, a US congressman from Florida, addressed the first night of the Republican National Convention which was largely being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic
Matt Gaetz, a US congressman from Florida, addressed the first night of the Republican National Convention which was largely being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic Republican National Convention / -
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