Melania kicks off first public appearance in a month with tongue-in-cheek joke about her absence

Melania kicks off first public appearance in a month with tongue-in-cheek joke about her absence The first lady’s last public appearance was at the 2026 World Cup final - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments First Lady Melania Trump made her first public appearance in more than a month as she delivered remarks from the White House to tout her foster care initiative. “I heard you missed me,” she said as she addressed a crowd at the Rose Garden on Thursday. “Here I am.” The first lady has remained largely out of the spotlight with her husband’s return to the White House. She has made even fewer public appearances in the president’s second term than his first; her last public appearance was at the 2026 World Cup final on July 19. Melania Trump did not join the president to attend the dignified transfer of the remains of four dead U.S. service members, nor did she sit beside the president at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner two days later on July 24. She also did not attend Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral on July 28. This is a developing story Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments