Abducted by aliens? Living with the Obamas? Secretly living in New York?
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First Lady Melania Trump has not been seen in public since May 10th, and the rumor mill on social media has been going wild with speculation: where is she and what is she doing? Is her health OK?
The intrigue began with Melania’s mysterious kidney ailment that sent her to the hospital for five days in May. But since then, very little information has been given about her medical condition, and she has made no official appearances.
Finally, today, it has been reported that the First Lady will reappear tonight at a Gold Star event at the White House.
But even this announcement, made by her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, is not without mystery, because the press has not been invited and will not attend tonight’s ceremony for families who have had loved ones killed in battle.
If Melania does indeed appear at the reception tonight it will be the first time she has been seen in public, either alone or by her husband’s side, since May 10th, nearly a month ago. First Ladies live in the public eye, and their every move is scrutinized 24/7. For them to completely disappear for weeks at a time is highly unusual, to say the least.
More speculation about the First Lady’s whereabouts and her physical condition arose yesterday when it was reported that she would not accompany President Trump on his trip to the Far East for the North Korean summit and other meetings. Again, it is highly unusual for First Ladies to stay home on these kinds of lengthy trips abroad that will entail many public appearances and ceremonies for the President.
The fact that the press is not invited tonight in some ways is stoking the rumor mill even more. What is all the secrecy about? The more Melania’s whereabouts and condition are kept secret, the more the media want to know what is really going on.
One interesting side twist concerns a tweet that was posted to the First Lady’s Twitter account on Wednesday. This was supposed to give assurances she was OK, but it appears that the tweet was not actually written by Melania.
“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! ” she supposedly 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
Nobody knows if Melania wrote that tweet herself or somebody else did.
Perhaps the mystery of Melania will be solved tonight when she magically appears in public. Or maybe not — if the White House says she is there, but the press doesn’t see it, will it really have happened?
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
