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Melania Trump has hit back at rumors that suggested her husband Donald had a different kind of relationship with executive assistant Natalie Harp.
The First Lady has been out of the public eye for around a month, having last been seen with Donald Trump at the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on July 19.
Many theorized that it was not Melania, but a body double at the game instead of her.
Regardless, Melania made an unmistakable public appearance on Thursday (August 20) and addressed the press with a playful comment.
The 56-year-old appeared and spoke at an event for her Fostering the Future initiative in the Rose Garden at the White House.
It comes as rumors have swirled over the nature of the relationship between the President and Harp, especially following the resignation of press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Speaking to the crowd, she greeted them and said: "I heard you missed me," before adding, "so here I am."
The comment got some laughs from those in the audience, as the First Lady added: “Welcome to the White House,” while laughing along with them.
Melania has been out of the public spotlight more during her husband's second term in office, with reports suggesting that she has been upset by her husband's relationship with Harp, as per Semafor via The Telegraph.
Last week, Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff made a suggestion that Trump didn't want to be President at all.
In fact, he suggested that all he wanted to do was “build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenceless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar”.
Ossoff was referencing his decision to sneak off Air Force One amid threats from the Iranian military, abandoning several staff members onboard, including Leavitt.
Trump then travelled on another plane after receiving a threat against his life.
Harp, 35, reportedly traveled with him on the separate plane journey back to the Capitol from the Nato summit in Ankara in July.
The relationship between the aide and the President, who have been working together since 2019, has come under question after it emerged that the former was leaving him personal notes.
It was even reported that she would travel in the trunk of his SUV if there were no available seats in the vehicle.
Unsurprisingly, a source revealed to Semafor that "the First Lady doesn’t like these types of things," when speaking about the speculation.
CBS News reported last week that members of President Donald Trump's cabinet were on a decoy plane that he secretly exited before boarding Air Force One in Turkey last month.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were among those who remained on board what was thought to be Air Force One and didn't join a flight provided to Trump over security concerns involving Iran.
The President entered the aircraft on July 8, before hiding on a catering truck to be transported to a military plane.
Political commentator Brian Krassenstein noticed this, drawing a link to Leavitt's departure: "Karoline Leavitt announced her resignation 24 hours after she found out that Trump left her for dead on a plane he thought could be shot out of the sky."
