Melania Trump Hasn’t Been Seen In Two Weeks, Meanwhile Donald Says She’s ‘Doing Great’
Melania Trump hasn’t been seen in public for nearly two weeks, after going into the hospital for what was reportedly a routine and minor kidney procedure, AOL News is reporting. Meanwhile, Donald Trump told reporters that the First Lady is “doing great” while declining to explain why she’s been gone for so long.
On Friday, as the 45th president walked across the White House lawn to depart for the U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremony, assembled reporters asked about what’s going on with Melania. Trump’s answer was short and to the point.
“She’s doing great.”
Trump then pointed to the White House and said, “She’s looking at us, right there.” Reporters looked at the White House windows and saw no sign of the First Lady looking out at them, according to Spin.
So where is Mrs. Trump? The last anybody heard from her officially was almost two weeks ago, when she was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. At the time, her office issued a statement saying that she was undergoing an embolization procedure in one (or possibly both) of her kidneys.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, an embolization procedure involves inserting a catheter into the patient’s leg, up into the renal artery, and then injecting foam in order to cut off the blood supply to a lesion (that is, a type of benign tumor that can be filled with blood vessels, fat cells, and sometimes some random muscle cells).
Usually, according to Dr. Mark S. Litwin, professor and chairman of urology at UCLA, such a procedure is usually done outpatient, and the patient is on their way home the same day. However, Dr. Mohamad Allaf, vice chairman of urology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said that a long stay after an embolization procedure is not out of the question.
Trump: Melania "doing great" after kidney procedure https://t.co/XHuZxgLK6G pic.twitter.com/pTD8S9bLou
— The Hill (@thehill) May 25, 2018
For what it’s worth, Melania – or perhaps more likely, her social media manger – has been tweeting, despite her absence from public life.
Thank you Master Chief Slabinski for your heroic actions. @POTUS & I are proud to have you @WhiteHouse today to award the #MedalOfHonor. Thank you & thank you to all our military who risk & sacrifice your lives for our freedom.
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) May 24, 2018
Spin writer Maggee Serota notes that Melania’s “absence” comes just days after announcing her “Be Best” initiative designed to teach children about good social media habits. She’s also been absent from photo-ops that would normally demand the FLOTUS’ presence, such as when South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook visited the White House earlier this week.
Serota also notes that Donald will have a hard time deflecting questions about Melania’s whereabouts for much longer.
“In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how long the president can keep up the, ‘Hey, look over there!’ strategy for staving off questions about his wife.”
As of this writing, neither the White House nor the First Lady’s office has given any official indication about Melania’s health or when she will resume her public duties.
