Melania Trump has cancelled a California fundraiser scheduled for next week, the White House confirmed, with press secretary Stephanie Grisham saying in a text message that the first lady would not be holding the event set for 18 March in Beverly Hills, reported Politico.
According to Grisham, the decision was due to a “scheduling conflict”.
The fundraiser would have been Melania Trump's first that she would have hosted alone. The First Lady is also slated to hold an event at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on 25 March.
Netizens swiftly responded to the announcement, with some posting sarcastic comments regarding the cited reason for the cancellation.
Others on social media were quite disparaging of the FLOTUS for her perceived “lack of official duties”.
Many commented on social media that it would be better if the official statement were “just honest” and mentioned the virus concerns.
Some fans, however, took the opportunity to take a jab at the state of California and praised the first lady for being “total class”.
The decision to cancel the event comes amid recent concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus in the US.
Los Angeles County, where the event was to be held, has declared a state of emergency over the outbreak of COVID-19.
Several members of Congress, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, have chosen to self-quarantine after coming into contact with an individual who tested positive for the coronavirus.
They came into contact with the infected person at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also attended the event, with organisers since claiming neither came into contact with the person who had the virus.
The coronavirus' global death toll passed the 4,000 mark late Monday, as COVID-19 showed no signs of slowing its spread across the US.
Confirmed cases surpassed 750 across more than 30 states and the District of Columbia, with the death toll rising to 26.