'I heard you missed me': Melania Trump jokes about month out of spotlight

The National Times - 'I heard you missed me': Melania Trump jokes about month out of spotlight

'I heard you missed me': Melania Trump jokes about month out of spotlight / Photo: © AFP

US First Lady Melania Trump poked fun Thursday at media speculation over her month away from the public eye and scrutiny over one of President Donald Trump's close aides.

Change text size:

"Good afternoon. I heard you missed me. Here I am," Melania said with a chuckle as she opened an event in the White House Rose Garden.

She and her 80-year-old husband held hands as they walked from the Oval Office to the podium, and the president sat in the audience as Melania spoke.

The event marked a donation by IndyCar and the Fox Corporation to fund university scholarships, ahead of an IndyCar race through the streets of Washington to mark America's 250th independence anniversary.

But all eyes were on 56-year-old Melania, who had last been seen in public at the FIFA World Cup final on July 19.

The Slovenian-born former model skipped a number of other major events including the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on July 24, despite having attended the first version in April, which was disrupted by a gunman.

An analysis by US broadcaster NBC on Monday said Melania Trump was keeping a much lower public profile in her second term as first lady, carrying out about half as many public events as she did by this point in her first.

Melania's return to the public eye also came amid speculation about Trump's hyper-loyal executive assistant Natalie Harp, 35.

The White House hit back angrily this week after a Democratic Senate hopeful queried why Harp was one of only a few people to secretly swap from Air Force One with the president in Turkey after a security threat.

Harp has been a near-constant presence at Trump's side in his second term, sometimes typing out social media posts for him and printing out information, a role that has seen her dubbed the "human printer."

Harp did not appear to be present at the Rose Garden event.

R.T.Gilbert--TNT

Ian Borg Honoured by Palestinian and Arab League Ambassadors for Palestine Support

Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg has been presented with a commemorative plaque by the ambassadors of Palestine and the Arab League to Malta. The honour recognizes his support for Arab causes during his tenure as Foreign Minister, particularly regarding Malta’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine.

Wu Administration Proposes Reforms to Boston’s Inclusionary Zoning Rules

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration announced a new round of policy adjustments on Monday designed to revive stalled affordable housing and commercial development projects. The proposals include extending payment timelines for developers, temporarily exempting smaller residential builds from strict zoning requirements, and freezing an automatic increase in commercial linkage fees to reduce financial burdens in a challenging market.

MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road

A SINN FÉIN MLA has condemned reports that loyalist band members made sectarian gestures at the scene of a Troubles massacre where five Catholic civilians were murdered. Deirdre Hargey has now called on police and transport authorities to investigate the claims following Saturday's Belfast Walker Club parade on the Ormeau Road.

Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks

Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly has dubbed Fine Gael leader Simon Harris a “Thatcherite” after the Tánaiste claimed that long-term unemployment is “not a way of life. ” The Sinn Féin social protection spokesperson stated that the Tánaiste has chosen to “stigmatise individuals on the margins of society and cast them as work-shy, rather than answer for his Government’s failures and the serious problems within his own party.