‘I heard you missed me’: Melania Trump jokes about month out of spotlight

WASHINGTON, Aug 21 — First Lady Melania Trump light-heartedly commented on media scrutiny over her absence from public events during her second term as the nation's leading lady. "Good afternoon. I heard you missed me. Here I am," she chuckled as she opened an event in the White House Rose Garden. The 56-year-old, accompanied by her 80-year-old husband, walked hand-in-hand to the podium where President Donald Trump sat in the audience.

The occasion was a donation by IndyCar and Fox Corporation to fund scholarships, in preparation for an IndyCar race through Washington to commemorate America's 250th independence anniversary. However, most attention was on Melania, who had not been seen in public since attending the FIFA World Cup final on July 19.

Melania last attended major events like the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on July 24, despite having been present at the inaugural version in April which was interrupted by a gunman. According to NBC analysis, Melania has been maintaining a significantly lower public profile during her second term, attending approximately half the events she did at the same point in her first term.

The return of Melania to the public eye also coincided with speculation surrounding Trump's trusted aide Natalie Harp, 35. The White House vehemently denied reports that Harp was one of only a few people to covertly transfer from Air Force One with the president in Turkey following a security threat. Harp, known as the "human printer" for her role in drafting social media posts and printing materials for Trump, was notably absent from the Rose Garden event.