Trump fires back at first lady conspiracy theories, from 'facelift' to 'near death'
Melania Trump attends her first public event in almost a month Wednesday.
First lady Melania Trump's nearly one-month absence from the public eye has stoked wild conspiracy theories about where she could be and the status of her health. In tweets Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump rattled off some of the more outrageous rumors that have circulated about his wife.
The tweets came as the first lady attended her first event open to the public and press in 27 days at a briefing Wednesday afternoon at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters.
Trump tweeted it was falsely reported she faced "near death," had a "facelift," left the White House, or was abused by the president, and blamed "the Fake News Media" of being "unfair" and "so vicious" to the first lady after her recovery from surgery to treat a benign kidney condition.
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough quickly pointed out that the president tweeted Scarborough's then-fiance and co-host Mika Brezinski had a facelift, which she denied.
At FEMA headquarters, the president acknowledged the first lady's health problems as she sat by his side in a khaki jacket. "She went through a little rough patch but she's doing great," the president said. "We're very proud of her, she's done a fantastic job as first lady. People love you. The people of our country love you. Thank you, honey." Melania Trump smiled bu said nothing.
Over the course of the first lady's recovery, the White House released little information about the status of her health or where she was beyond telling reporters she was "doing well." Mrs. Trump underwent a surgical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 14, and remained hospitalized for almost a week. Mrs. Trump's Communications Director, Stephanie Grisham, said the procedure was a success and without complication.
Unlike her husband, the first lady enjoys keeping a low profile and avoids the media spotlight. But her silence for almost one month did not help to silence rumors and conspiracy theories from brewing online. The last time Mrs. Trump was seen in public was May 10, when she joined the president at Joint Base Andrews to welcome home three American hostages freed from North Korea.
ABC News was first to report that the first lady has no plans to join the president on his upcoming high profile trips to Quebec for the G7 Summit or to Singapore for the summit with North Korea.
The president tweeted on Wednesday that Mrs. Trump was spotted by reporters in the West Wing heading to meetings, but those reporters failed to report the sighting because it would not fit a narrative she was "living in a different part of the world" or "was really ill.
However, two reporters who saw the first lady did report that they saw Mrs. Trump walking with aides at the White House.
The first lady is expected to make her first public appearance since her surgery at a briefing Wednesday afternoon at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters.
On Monday night, the first lady made her first White House appearance when she attended a private event to honor Gold Star families.
Jena Greene, a Gold Star daughter who attended the event with her family, told ABC News the first lady, wearing a black dress and her signature high heels, appeared to be doing well. "She sat most of the reception but arrived with [the president] and left with him," Greene said.
The president even cracked a joke about the gossip surrounding the first lady's prolonged period away from the public eye with the crowd. He laughed off rumors he and the first were breaking up, according to Greene, saying that wasn't true.
"Isn't that right honey?" the president said.
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