First lady appears in Washington at hurricane briefing as Trump says ‘she went through a little rough patch but she’s doing great’

Donald Trump fired back at what he called “unfair and vicious” rumours about his wife Melania as the first lady made her first public appearance after nearly a month away – an absence that had become something of a national puzzle.

Trump posted on Twitter on Wednesday morning: “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!”

Later on Wednesday, the first lady appeared in Washington and sat next to the president at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) headquarters, where they received a briefing on the 2018 hurricane season.

At the briefing, Trump said: “She’s doing great. She went through a little rough patch but she’s doing great. We’re very proud of her. She’s done a fantastic job as first lady.”

He added: “The people of our country love you, so thank you, honey.”

The first lady did not speak at the meeting.

Until Monday, when she appeared at a White House event for families whose relatives have died in military action, Melania Trump had not been seen in public since 10 May.

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On 14 May, the White House announced that the first lady had undergone a routine kidney procedure at Walter Reed medical center, near Washington, and that there were no complications. The news was met with surprise: there was no prior indication she had been unwell. Speculation began to build on social media when Melania Trump remained in hospital longer than expected and cancelled a series of appearances.

Last weekend it was announced she would not be joining her husband at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. On Sunday, the White House said she would also not be present for this week’s G7 summit in Canada or the planned 12 June talks in Singapore with North Korea.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Melania Trump at the Fema event on Wednesday. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

On 30 May, a tweet was sent from the first lady’s official account that read: “I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I’m doing. Rest assured, I’m here at the White House with my family, feeling great, and working hard on behalf of children & the American people!”

Early on Wednesday, Donald Trump took up the theme.

He wrote on Twitter: “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!”

CNBC reporter Eamon Javers tweeted that he saw the first lady in the White House on 29 May with her aides, but responded to Trump’s claim with confusion.

Javers wrote: “I know of two who saw the first lady: me and [NBC reporter Kristen Welker]. I tweeted about it May 30. There were no other reporters there at the time, but maybe POTUS is referring to something else?”