First Lady Melania Trump appeared at Ford’s Theater’s annual gala on Sunday night just two days after her husband President Donald Trump smashed conspiracy theories over why she would not be traveling with him to Canada and Singapore.
Mrs. Trump’s Sunday participation in the gala was among the most visible appearances she has made since undergoing an embolization procedure for a benign kidney condition on May 14.
Thank you @Fordstheatre & the talented performers for a special evening celebrating the arts & the legacy of former President Lincoln. Congratulations to @jacknicklaus & Sheila Johnson, the recipients of the Lincoln Medal! pic.twitter.com/EEJLhLn5qb
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) June 11, 2018
Media and internet conspiracy theories rose up as she recovered from the surgery, claiming that she had moved back to New York or was cozied up with the Obamas writing a tell-all about plastic surgery and her husband. Just 20 days into her recovery CNN ran a headline calling out her absence.
The first lady’s Communications Director Stephanie Grisham condemned one senior news editor’s suggestion of abuse between the president and first lady as “disgusting on many different levels,” in a statement to Breitbart News.
Speculation mounted still as the president’s trips to the G7 meeting in Canada and summit with North Korea in Singapore fast approached. Those speculations were smashed on Friday just before the President took off from the White House for the G7 summit. He told inquisitive reporters that “the First Lady is great.” He said she had wanted to go, but that she couldn’t fly for a month after her surgery on doctor’s orders. “She had a big operation,” he said, revealing that her surgery had lasted four hours.
The first lady made her first event appearance since surgery to honor gold star families at the White House last week. The event was closed to the press in respect for the families’ privacy.
At Sunday night’s gala honoring former President Abraham Lincoln, the first lady served as Honorary Chair. She delivered remarks at the end of performances, thanking the theater and performers, according to the first lady’s office.
“I was honored to be part of such a special evening,” said the first lady. “Tonight reminds all of us about the power the arts have in cultivating the American voice. Thank you to Ford’s Theatre Society for tonight, and your continued dedication to education and leadership in the arts—the impact they have on society is invaluable and something we will continue to cherish throughout time.”
Mrs. Trump “congratulated the recipients of this year’s Lincoln Medal – an annual award given to people who have exemplified the legacy of President Lincoln through their achievements and bodies of work,” according to the first lady’s office.
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