Things are really tense and awful in Washington, D.C., with a bitter fight over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh coming to a head and President Trump punching down at a seemingly endless series of campaign rallies. But first lady Melania Trump has escaped it all during a five-day solo trip to Africa. On Friday, Trump took a quick safari in Kenya and paid a visit to Nairobi National Park, playing with baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust orphanage. At one point, she fed milk to one of the orphaned elephants

The first lady even appeared to be having a great time when an elephant she was petting made a sudden move toward her, causing her to lose her footing.

CNN's Kate Bennett said she's never seen Trump "smile and laugh more" in two years of covering her.

I have covered @FLOTUS for almost two years and have never seen her smile and laugh more than she is now with these baby elephants pic.twitter.com/Cmbt9HpV6k — Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) October 5, 2018

Trump started her first solo tour abroad as first lady Tuesday in Ghana, then traveled to Malawi on Thursday. She ends her trip in Egypt. Her visit with the elephants and short safari are meant to highlight animal conservation efforts in East Africa. Peter Weber