Melania Trump reemerged in public view for the first time in more than a month on Thursday, and she tried to downplay her noticeable absence.
The first lady was joined by President Donald Trump in the White House Rose Garden for an event celebrating the expansion of her Fostering the Future Initiative.
Her return to the spotlight came exactly one month and a day after the last time Melania had been seen in public, prompting a series of questions and jokes about her vanishing act in recent weeks.
Melania acknowledge her recent disappearing act, while also seemingly taking a shot at Donald Trump’s secret girlfriend Natalie Harp.
“I heard you missed me. Here I am,” she said with a laugh. “Here I am! Welcome to the White House.”
It was a rare event for Melania to speak, and the president remained seated for most of the time in the audience before standing for some pictures but not giving remarks.
The last time Melania was seen with her husband was when the pair attended the FIFA World Cup Final in New Jersey on July 19.
The first lady and president were all FAKE smiles as they posed for pictures at the end of the event
.
But behind closed doors, Mrs. Trump is locked in a power struggle with the president’s aide Natalie Harp, according to Trump biographer Michael Wolff.
Harp, 35, has been a constant presence near the president since he returned to office, and was also one of his closest staffers on the campaign trail.
The special assistant and executive assistant to the president, who makes $150,000, has faced increased scrutiny in recent days after being name-checked on the campaign trail by Sen. Jon Ossoff.
It’s led to a series of disturbing reports about the lengths she’s gone to stay close to the president and raised concerns about her work at the White House without a security clearance for a year, as reported by MS NOW.
If you want to support independent media make sure to like and share this post! For more updates on this and everything else, please consider becoming a paid subscriber — it really is the best way to support my work as an independent journalist.
