But where has Melania Trump gone?
The First Lady of the United States Melania Trump has been particularly low key in recent weeks. She reappeared on Monday in an event that was closed to the press.
What happened to Melania Trump? For 25 days, she has avoided the cameras. Only a photo of her, where we see her in the background, was released Monday evening. But this unique snapshot will be difficult to silence the rumors swelling around the prolonged absence of the First Lady since her operation for a "benign" kidney problem. “Tonight, @POTUS and I were honored to pay tribute to our fallen heroes,” Melania Trump wrote on Twitter Monday, accompanying her post with a group photo Showing her seated, all in dark clothes, next to Donald Trump at a reception in honor of the families of fallen American soldiers.
Tonight @POTUS & I were honored to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. Thank you to the Gold Star families that joined us in celebration & remembrance. pic.twitter.com/6oSh1t88G7
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) June 5, 2018
But the press had not been invited to cover the event. Enough to further fuel the rumors that were already going well since the announcement on Sunday of the absence of Melania Trump, at the G7 at the weekend in Canada and at the historic summit in Singapore which will bring together Donald Trump and the North leader. Korean, Kim Jong-un, June 12.
A notable absence from Camp David
Even for a First Lady who is particularly discreet and jealous of her independence, missing this historic and highly anticipated event is surprising. Especially since this announcement punctuated a weekend already marked by his absence at the presidential residence of Camp David, where a good part of the Trump clan met. "Guess and nonsense," protested Melania Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham, interviewed Monday by Fox News and CNN. "Mrs. Trump has always been a strong and independent woman who puts her family and of course her health above all else, and that will not change because of rabid journalists," she hammered.
More serious health problem, disagreement with her husband ... Returning from the hospital more than two weeks ago, Melania Trump had laughed herself on Twitter on Wednesday - in a style resembling that of her husband - leads, sometimes eccentric, considered to explain his "disappearance". “I see the media are working overtime and speculating on where I am and what I am doing. Rest assured, I am here in the White House with my family, feeling great and working hard for the American people and the children! ”she wrote.
I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I'm doing. Rest assured, I'm here at the @WhiteHouse w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) May 30, 2018
It took a long time to move into the White House after Trump's election
Such a long eclipse "is rare," said Katherine Jellison, historian at the University of Ohio, interviewed by AFP. Her last public appearance dates back to May 10, at night, when she went to welcome with her husband three former American prisoners whom Pyongyang had just released. On May 14, the White House announced that the former Slovenian model had undergone "an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney problem", without suffering any complications, at the Walter Reed military hospital near Washington. While it is not uncommon to remain hospitalized after this type of intervention, in order to treat pain, the particularly long duration of Melania Trump's stay in hospital, five days, has raised questions.
Born Melanija Knavs in what was then Yugoslavia, Donald Trump's third wife has always been much more discreet than her hot husband. And their apparent lack of complicity has already caused much ink to flow. She had waited several months before joining the president after moving to the White House in January 2017, officially for their son Barron, 12, to finish his school year.
His public silence was also noticed after the revelations at the beginning of the year on the supposed affair between Donald Trump and the X actress Stormy Daniels, which dates back to 2006 ... when Melania Trump had just given birth to Barron.
