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Melania Trump expected to attend White House event

US First lady Melania Trump is expected to attend a White House event on Monday evening, 24 days after she…

Melania Trump expected to attend White House event

US First Lady Melania Trump (Photo: AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISE)

US First lady Melania Trump is expected to attend a White House event on Monday evening, 24 days after she made her last public appearance, the media reported.

Despite her planned attendance at Monday’s event to honour Gold Star families, the First Lady will not attend the G7 summit to be held from June 8 to 9 in Canada or join her husband President Donald Trump when he travels to Singapore for the planned June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.

The reception on Monday is closed to the press, but following 2017 Gold Star families event, the White House released a statement about the event with remarks from Melania Trump, CNN reported.

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“Gold Star families have lost an immediate family member who was serving during wartime, and they are a unique and distinct category of individuals who should be cherished. These families have endured the ultimate in pain and sacrifice on behalf of our country, and I am honoured to have spent the evening with them,” the statement said.

“My husband and I commit to always pay tribute to our active service military, veterans, and the families who love them.”

Gold Star Families for Peace is a US-based organisation founded in January 2005 by individuals who lost family members in the Iraq War, and are thus entitled to display a Gold Star.

The attendance of the First Lady on Monday’s reception will mark the first time she has participated in an official event, either alone or by her husband’s side, since May 10 at the Andrews Air Force Base as they welcomed home three Americans who had been held prisoners in North Korea.

Her spokeswoman told CNN on Sunday that Melania Trump underwent a medical procedure to treat a benign kidney issue on May 14 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

The First Lady remained in the hospital for five nights following the procedure prior to returning to the White House on May 19.

Several internet conspiracy theories ranging from plastic surgery to a stealth move back to New York City have been circulated on the social media regarding the First Lady.

Grisham denied the rumours, telling CNN that the First Lady has been recuperating, but also taking meetings with her staff at the White House, discussing her initiatives as well as upcoming events like the Congressional Picnic and Fourth of July.

Melania Trump attended the 2017 G7 summit in Sicily, making headlines on her debut international trip as First Lady.

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