First lady Melania Trump was in the front row on Monday night as President Donald Trump honored the Gold Star families whose loved ones have paid the ultimate price to preserve Americans’ freedom.
But the left-wing media is still promoting conspiracy theories about why the first lady hasn’t made a “public appearance” since she underwent surgery and has been recovering at the White House.
Those theories have been reported on a daily basis since the first lady was with the president as they welcomed home three Americans who were released from prison in North Korea on May 10, thanks to the Trump administration’s negotiations with the communist regime.
The media has pushed a number of theories over the weeks, ranging from the first lady moving back to New York, to her suffering abuse at the hands of her husband.
The media reports have continued in spite of the fact that the first lady’s press secretary told outlets exactly what Trump has been doing since she left the hospital, and the first lady herself has tweeted numerous times, including responding to the fake news.
Breitbart News reported Stephanie Grisham’s response to media inquiries about the first lady: ”Sadly, we deal with conspiracy theories all the time, so this is nothing new, just more silly nonsense,” Grisham said. “She is doing great.”
“I wouldn’t characterize it as a long absence,” Grisham said. “She was hospitalized for almost a week and is now home and recovering.”
Grisham said that, despite her recovery, the first lady continues to work with staff, specifically on the upcoming congressional picnic in June and Fourth of July festivities.
But the New York Times had a different take:
On the 25th day of a much-discussed absence from the public eye, the first lady re-emerged.
Sort of.
Weeks ago, Melania Trump essentially vanished from view after undergoing what her office described as a successful treatment of a benign kidney condition. On Monday, she reappeared on the president’s schedule and joined him at a reception for military families.
But Mrs. Trump’s scheduled appearance was not open to the press and was unlikely to calm rampant speculation about why she has not been seen in public in over three weeks. It is an unusual stretch for one of the most visible women in the world and, according to historians, it is the longest break anyone has taken from the role in modern memory.
The Times also found people for its report to advance the conspiracy theories.
“What Mrs. Trump has executed here seems unprecedented,” Katherine Jellison, a professor at Ohio University who studies first ladies and was quoted in the Times report.
“I don’t know what we want to call this period where she hasn’t been in view. Respite from the role of first lady? Vacation from first lady? Medical recovery period?” Jellison said.
“It’s amazing she’s been able to pull it off given the scrutiny that first ladies are under in our times,” Jellison said. “For all we know, maybe she does understand what the expectations are but just chooses not to play that game. This particular first family and this particular White House has their own roadmap for doing things.”
“Questions about Mrs. Trump’s health and whereabouts are likely to persist, particularly since Mrs. Trump has not traveled with her husband,” the Times reported, noting the first lady will not accompany the president to the upcoming Group of 7 (G7) meeting in Quebec.
The Times also said the first lady would not accompany Trump for the summit with dictator Kim Jung-un in Singapore on June 12.
Fox News reported that Grisham, citing the “rabid press corps,” tried once again to set the record straight.
“Mrs. Trump has always been a strong and independent woman who puts her family, and certainly her health above all else, and that won’t change over a rabid press corps,” Grisham told Fox News. “She’s confident in what she is doing and in her role, and knows the rest is just speculation and nonsense.”