Finally, Melania Trump has reappeared.
After more than three weeks out of the public eye, the US first lady strolled into a White House event on Monday for military families and swept away the wild speculation that she was incapacitated or had otherwise gone missing.
The White House did not allow journalists to cover the Gold Star event out of respect for the families, which meant Mrs Trump was seen in person only by the 40 or so families and administration officials who attended. Others had to keep an eye on social media.
Video posted on Twitter showed the first lady, who wore a black sleeveless dress and her trademark stilettos, strolling into the East Room accompanied by President Donald Trump. He showed her to a front-row seat before heading to the microphone.
Trump joked about all the speculation that his wife had supposedly left him but said she was doing fine.
The first lady was last seen publicly during the overnight hours of May 10 when she and the president welcomed home three Americans who had been detained in North Korea.
Four days later, the White House announced that she had been hospitalised to treat a benign kidney condition.
Mrs. Trump stayed in the hospital for five days and has kept out of public view since returning home May 19. She has been meeting with staff and working on upcoming projects, according to spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.
It's still unclear when the first lady will make an appearance in public. She's not scheduled to accompany Trump to an annual world leaders' summit in Canada this weekend, or when he meets with North Korea's leader in Singapore next week.
Her absence sparked all kinds of wild speculation, but the first lady has shown no interest in making an appearance just to knock down rumours.
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