President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance today at a White House opioid summit.
First lady Melania Trump had delivered opening remarks at the event, touting the administration’s work to combat opioid addiction.
He acknowledged her in his own early statements, saying of his wife, ‘Melania is here some place. Where is our first lady? Where is she? Where’s Melania.’
Finding her in the back of the room, the president called out, ‘Hello, darling.’
‘She feels so strongly about it. Kellyanne feels so strongly about it, and I do,’ he said of the nation’s opioid crisis as he invoked one of his top aides.
First lady Melania Trump spoke at a White House event Thursday on opiods. She’s been active on this issue including taking several trips where she’s spoken to victims and health care professionals about the epidemic
First lady Melania Trump touted the administration’s work to combat opioid addiction Thursday at a White House summit
‘Our unified goal is that of helping all who have been affected by drug addiction,’ the first lady said Thursday at the White House
Melania Trump embraces Betty Henderson, whose son died of an opioid overdose, during the White House Opioid Summit
The first lady left the East Room event, which featured several panels that counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway moderated, after her remarks. She came back later to hear the president
Kellyanne Conway is seen on the right in this photo taken before the president called out both women for their efforts
First Lady Melania Trump arrives to speak about opioid abuse in the White House’s East Room this afternoon
The first lady said she was especially concerned about the impact the crisis has had on babies and young mothers.
‘Our unified goal is that of helping all who have been affected by drug addiction,’ she stated.
Trump opened up the summit that counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and Attorney General Jeff Sessions also spoke at.
The event was livestreamed on the White House’s website but was not open to reporters – a departure from the way the first lady’s public remarks are typically handled.
Fighting opioid addiction has been a policy priority of the administration, with the president convening an anti-drug abuse task force.
At an event where he declared the opioid epidemic a public health crisis, President Trump said he was inspired to take on drug abuse by his brother Fred’s death.
‘He really helped me,’ Trump said. ‘I had somebody that guided me.’