Trump breaks silence on rumours of Melania's disappearance

The First Lady was 'missing' for more than three weeks

Donald Trump has broken his silence about the conspiracy theories surrounding his “missing” wife, saying she was recovering from surgery and had not been abused or had a facelift, and had neither left the White House or him.

After having not been seen in public for more than three weeks after she underwent kidney surgery, First Lady Melania Trump attended a White House event on Monday evening to honour military families who have lost relatives - so-called Gold Star Families.

While the event was closed to the press, the Associated Press obtained and verified a blurred image of her. The conservative website, the Daily Caller, also obtained images of the First Lady.

Ms Trump, who was seen wearing a sleeveless black dress and walking in the East Room accompanied by President Trump, tweeted: “Tonight @POTUS & I were honoured to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. Thank you to the Gold Star families that joined us in celebration & remembrance.”

While Mr Trump had previously said his wife was recovering well after her surgery, his comments on Wednesday morning were the first to address the flurry of rumours and theories triggered by the fact she had not been seen since May 10, when the president travelled to Andrews Air Force Base. He had gone there in the early hours to welcome home three Americans freed by North Korea.

The rumours received additional oxygen when it was announced she would not be accompanying Mr Trump to Singapore for his June 12 summit with Kim Jong-un.

“The Fake News Media has been so unfair, and vicious, to my wife and our great First Lady, Melania. During her recovery from surgery they reported everything from near death, to facelift, to left the WH (and me) for NY or Virginia, to abuse. All Fake, she is doing really well,” he wrote.

He added: “Four reporters spotted Melania in the White House last week walking merrily along to a meeting.

“They never reported the sighting because it would hurt the sick narrative that she was living in a different part of the world, was really ill, or whatever. Fake News is really bad!”

Ms Trump entered hospital four days after appearing with her husband to welcome the freed hostage. She was released from the hospital with no complications on 19 May.

“Great to have our incredible First Lady back home in the White House. Melania is feeling and doing really well,” Mr Trump tweeted at the time, having deleted an earlier tweet in which he had spelled his wife’s name incorrectly.