According to Jeff Zeleny, CNN White House reporter, President Donald Trump joked about FLOTUS’s first public appearance since her surgery, mimicking the media's question, "Where's Melania?" Zeleny tweeted that POTUS had poked fun at speculations over their divorce as he asked rhetorically "Did she leave him?" before turning to his spouse, sitting in front row:
Despite the event, honoring Gold Star families, being closed to the media, a reporter from the Daily Caller, Jena Greene, whose Marine father was killed during the Iraq war, appeared to have attended the ceremony as a relative.
READ MORE: Twitter Explodes With Memes as Trump Confirms Melania's Good Health
Greene tweeted a video, featuring the US' first couple entering the hall, and subsequently posted two other tweets as the president poked fun at media speculations over Melania’s absence.
As the first lady is back to the spotlight, many social media users have laid out their theories on what the problem was…
…some suggested that it was her “double” that attended the Gold Star ceremony:
Melania, meanwhile, has shared a picture from the reception on her Twitter feed, and issued a statement after the ceremony.
“It was a privilege to welcome Gold Star Families to the White House today to recognize our Nation’s fallen heroes and their families. To all those who have lost loved ones in service to our country, our nation grieves with you,” she stated.
Nearly a month ago, the White House announced that Melania Trump had undergone an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition, which went successfully and without any complications.