Melania Trump returns to public eye at State of the Union but reports of president’s affair continue to swirl
President Trump stands accused of paying off porn star Stormy Daniels one month before the November 2016 election to keep their adulterous liaison quiet
First lady Melania Trump made a very visible return to the public stage on Tuesday after weeks of privacy, as she attended her husband’s first State of the Union address before Congress.
The enigmatic wife of President Donald Trump emerged publicly for the first time since she fed the Washington rumour mill by cancelling her trip to Davos, Switzerland, leaving her husband to attend last week’s World Economic Forum on his own.
A smiling and waving Melania arrived in the chamber to warm and extended applause – dressed in a crisp cream white pantsuit that stood in contrast to the black donned by many Democratic lawmakers in solidarity with the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.
Minutes later, her husband took the floor and exchanged waves with his wife.
Among Trumps’ guests in the first lady’s box were a US Marine corporal who stepped on an explosive device and last both legs while deployed in Iraq in 2007; first responders who helped save hurricane victims in Louisiana and Texas, and parents of children killed by the gang MS-13.
In what would be a break with tradition, Melania Trump reportedly travelled separately to the US Capitol and not in the presidential limousine.