It’s been business as usual for Donald Trump—same old “witch hunt!” Twitter rants—but it’s hard not to notice the distinct absence of Melania Trump by his side.
The First Lady was not seen on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery; in fact, she hasn’t been seen in weeks. So what gives?
Well, if you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll know it has been two weeks since Melania has made any public appearance at all, her last being on May 10 when she and her husband welcomed 3 American detainees home from North Korea at Joint Base Andrews.
Her recent absence from the spotlight isn’t totally out of the blue though, considering she had surgery on May 14 for a benign kidney condition that caused her to spend six days at Walter Reed Military Hospital.
Even so, she was released ten days ago—on May 20. While the specific details of Melania’s health issue have remained under wraps, medical experts told The New York Times that a procedure like the one Melania purportedly underwent should have resulted in an immediate, same-day discharge. Many speculated at the time that the decision to keep her at the center for an extended was due to her high-profile position.
Cheriss May
“That’s because she is the First Lady,” said Dr. Jeffrey Cadeddu, a professor of urology and radiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, of why she was held for so long. “If it was you, you’d be in and out in a day, I promise.”
But Melania has remained unseen. That’s not stopping her husband, however, from insisting she’s “right there,” apparently cheering him on from inside the White House.
“She’s doing great. She’s looking at us, right there,” Donald said to a group of reporters Friday morning while pointing toward the White House. The reporters, comically, turned to look at an empty window, but alas, there was no sign of Melania anywhere.
Unless her disembodied ghost was waving back, she continues to be MIA. As fans debate whether or not they should put out flyers or an SOS of some kind, a few wild conspiracy theories have emerged about why Melania has bucked the spotlight recently.
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Some think her absence means that she’s moved out of the White House. Melania’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, has long denied the rumor, adding that she and FLOTUS “laugh at it all the time.” But her reassurance hasn’t squashed the whispers that she and son Barron have high tailed it back to Trump Tower in Manhattan, where she spent the first five months of Donald’s presidency.
Still, that’s not the most far-fetched rumor out there. Other people think Melania has a straight-up body double (who has maybe gone on vacation, who knows).
Business Insider reported that Melania’s Secret Service agent—who looks strikingly similar to her—has fueled the rumor mill.
All rumors aside though, the American people are hoping to get a glimpse of their First Lady sooner or later. Preferably sooner.