First, Second Ladies Honor Children of Military Families and Those Facing Illness

First lady Melania Trump and second lady Karen Pence spent Friday with children who are pa
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Penny Starr

First lady Melania Trump and second lady Karen Pence spent Friday with children who are patients at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and those whose parents serve in the U.S. military, respectively.

Mrs. Trump dedicated a new garden on the roof of the medical center, where she visited with children as they colored and enjoyed views of the National Mall and the Washington Monument.

When one of the children told Trump it was her birthday, the first lady shared that she had just celebrated a birthday and that her husband, President Donald Trump, is 70 years old and has a birthday in June, CNN reported.

“The children all seemed to take kindly to the First Lady, and were pictured laughing and giving her hugs as they sat around the crafts table,” the Daily Mail reported. “The group chatted about their favorite books and singers, and after several minutes of crafting, she thanked them for spending their afternoon with her.”

The new Bunny Mellon Healing Garden is dedicated to U.S. first ladies and is named for Mellon, an American horticulturist, gardener, philanthropist and art collector who died in 2014.

Melania Trump tweeted about the event after it concluded:

Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence, opened the doors of the vice presidential residence and held a pool party for the children of military families.

Pence then tweeted about the event, with April as the Month of the Military Child as her inspiration. She posted several photos of the festivities:

“Me & @VP face timing with a service member deployed while standing with his family at our pool party for military children. Priceless!!” the second lady tweeted, using an American flag emoji with the tweet.

“Children play an important role in the Armed Forces community and we enjoyed spending our evening with military families,” she said in a tweet accompanied with a heart emoji.

CNN speculated on the evolving role of Trump as first lady in its report on the hospital visit.

“Trump has eased her way into the role, performing the traditional first lady duty of America’s official hostess; initially traveling to Washington rarely, but more frequently in recent weeks,” CNN reported. “She’s participated in key events, hosting the 179th annual White House Easter Egg Roll and welcoming governors and spouses at the formal Governors Ball.”

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