First lady Melania Trump made an unannounced visit to the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital on Thursday, meeting with patients and their families, and spreading some Easter cheer.
Reporters weren’t informed of her trip to the St. Mary’s Medical Center campus until after the fact, with her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham confirming it in a tweet.
‘FLOTUS just finished a surprise visit to @StMarysMC to deliver #Easter baskets & spend time w some of their brave patients! Wishing everyone a happy & healthy holiday weekend,’ Grisham wrote.
Later Thursday, the first lady tweeted about the visit, and included some pictures.
First lady Melania Trump is seen engaging with patients at the St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday afternoon
She sent out a tweet that included four pictures from her visit. While at the children’s hospital she gave out Easter treats
Melania Trump (right) is seen leaning over one young patient how is giving her a No. 1. The first lady made a surprise trip to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Florida Thursday
First lady Melania Trump (left) receives a tour of the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital on Thursday. She brought Easter treats to give to the kids while staying in Florida for spring break
GROUP SHOT: First lady Melania Trump poses with staff at the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital, which is part of St. Mary’s Medical Center located in West Palm Beach
Melania Trump (left) embraces her husband President Trump (right) as they walk to Marine One together on March 19. The couple took a trip to New Hampshire to address the opioid epidemic
‘Enjoyed my visit to @StMarysMC today. So great to spend time with some of their brave patients and hard working doctors and nurses,’ Mrs. Trump said.
She and the president have been apart all week.
While the president returned to Washington Sunday, an hour before the 60 Minutes program featuring porn star Stormy Daniels aired, the first lady has been at Mar-a-Lago all week for spring break.
Thursday marked the first day she was seen out publicly.
CNN reported that Trump spent approximately 45 minutes with 20 patients, delivering to them Easter tote bags that included bunny stuffed animals, playing cards, coloring books, crayons and stickers.
She’s expected to return to Washington before Monday’s Easter Egg Roll, one of the year’s major events that the East Wing puts on.
After giving a speech in Ohio Thursday, Trump boarded Air Force One and headed to Mar-a-Lago to be with his wife, which will be the first time the couple has been together since Daniels made her claims that she had unprotected sex with Trump in 2006, a year and a half into the Trumps’ marriage.
When the Wall Street Journal first broke the story of Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen paying Daniels $130,000 in hush money weeks before the 2016 election, the first lady cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland with her husband.
Grisham blamed scheduling issues.
Instead, Melania Trump toured the Holocaust Museum in D.C. and then boarded a plan to Florida for a Mar-a-Lago spa day.
She returned in advance of her husband’s State of the Union address, but took a separate motorcade to Capitol Hill, which was excused as a way that she could spend more time with her guests, as newsworthy Americans are always picked to sit in the first lady’s box.
More recently, Melania Trump has engaged in public displays of affection with her husband, including holding hands and sharing a photo of them standing together on the Truman Balcony – smiling – in front of D.C.’s early spring snow.
But that was all before Daniels went on television and spoke of a one-night stand with the now-president, revealing details like they didn’t use protection and the flirtation started with the porn star spanking Trump with a magazine that had his face on the cover.
While Daniels said the two only had one sexual encounter, she also told 60 Minutes’ Anderson Cooper that Trump wanted it to happen again.
Grisham has defended the first lady on Twitter this week.
‘While I know the media is enjoying speculation & salacious gossip, Id like to remind people there’s a minor child who’s name should be kept out of news stories when at all possible,’ she said.