Many are worried about first lady Melania Trump, who reportedly hasn’t been seen in public since before her emergency kidney operation earlier this month.
The first lady was last seen on May 10, according to a report by InStyle. At the time, she and President Donald Trump welcomed home three Americans who hd been detained at Joint Base Andrews in North Korea.
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A few days later, on May 14, The White House announced that Trump was undergoing an emergency surgery to treat a benign kidney condition. She spent six days at Walter Reed Military Hospital before it was announced that she would be heading home to the White House. Now, nearly ten days after her release, the First Lady still has yet to be seen, and her doctors have not issued any official statements.
The alarm was raised even higher when medical experts told reporters from the New York Times that an embolization procedure like Trump’s should have resulted in a same-day discharge. Soon, users on Twitter were speculating that she may have undergone a more complicated cosmetic surgery under the guise of an emergency.
Others wondered if Trump had attempted to escape, or even to commit suicide, while a few imagined that she had been whisked away in order to cooperate more safely with the Russia investigation.
I don’t think Melania is missing, I think she had some plastic surgery which takes some time to heal
— Molly #NobelPissPrize (@Plantflowes) May 26, 2018
The president has not helped assuage the public’s fear for Trump. On Friday, reporters asked him about his wife’s whereabouts on the White House lawn.
“She’s doing great. She’s looking at us, right there,” the President reportedly said, pointing to a window. When reporters turned to look, there was no one on the other side.
We’re all accustomed to Trump’s compulsive lying, but insisting Melania is visible at a window when she’s not there takes us into new and much creepier territory. Maybe she’s finally going after that divorce she wants so badly. Has anyone seen Barron or is he missing too?
— morewords (@morewords) May 27, 2018
Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham has repeatedly denied all claims that she is missing. She insists that the first lady has not secretly moved out of the White House, adding that the two of them “laugh at it all the time. Still, many believe that she and the president’s youngest son, Barron may have moved unofficially back to Trump Tower in New York, where they spent the early days of Trump’s presidency.
A spokesperson issued a statement to NBC News on Tuesday morning, saying that Trump is hard at work pursuing her Be Best initiative.
UPDATE: The First Lady is “doing great” since returning to the White House from hospitalization, spokesperson says.
“She has had several meetings … and will continue to do so this week. We are focusing on her initiatives, and also some longer term planning for events.”
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 29, 2018
“UPDATE: The First Lady is ‘doing great’ since returning to the White House from hospitalization, spokesperson says,” read a tweet from the outlet. “‘She has had several meetings… and will continue to do so this week. We are focusing on her initiatives, and also some longer term planning for events.’”
