It's been 20 days since Melania Trump has been in the public eye, CNN reports, and silence from the White House has caused the conspiracy theorists to work overtime. While that might be normal for most public figures, as the wife of a president who hates the media but loves attention, her absence is much more noticeable.
After missing events like the Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery, theories about where she actually is continue to grow, since she reportedly returned to the White House after a "minor surgery," Politico reports. From a move back to New York City and reports she's working on a tell-all book about her husband to a theory that she's currently living with former president and first last lady Barack and Michelle Obama, some people are coming to their own conclusion about why they haven't seen Melania in any of the multiple public appearances where her husband Donald has been seen.
"Sadly, we deal with conspiracy theories all the time, so this is nothing new, just more silly nonsense," said spokesperson Stephanie Grisham. "She is doing great. I wouldn’t characterize it as a long absence. She was hospitalized for almost a week and is now home and recovering." The hospital stay Grisham is referring to is reportedly for a routine embolization procedure that only takes a single day to complete, making the first lady's five-day stay a bit unusual, fueling the rumors even more.
"It’s expected that Trump people are hiding something," said one senior administration official about the theories, who also pointed to a period of time last summer where Melania stayed out of the public eye for even longer than a few weeks before making the move to the White House.
The president himself is also not helping the situation either, making confusing comments when asked about his wife."Right there," he reportedly said while he pointed at an empty East Wing window. “She’s doing great. Just look at us, right there.”
Uh, sure.
