Sending well wishes to the first lady. Melania Trump underwent kidney surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington, D.C. on Monday May, 14, after experiencing an issue that required medical attention, according to a statement from her office that same day.
The 48-year-old former model’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, says Trump is expected to remain at the medical center located in Bethesda, Maryland, for a few days following the procedure. CNN reports that her husband, President Donald Trump, remained at the White House during his wife’s operation.
“This morning, first lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful and there were no complications,” the statement read. “Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week. The first lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere.”
The hospitalization comes exactly one week after Trump announced her new children-focused campaign, Be Best, on May 7. The first lady made headlines when she was accused of plagiarism following the announcement with reports claiming she had pulled text and graphics for the Be Best promotional booklet from a prior promo that was published during former president Barack Obama’s time in office.
Grisham spoke out regarding the accusations in a Twitter post the following day. “Yesterday, first lady Melania Trump unveiled Be Best, her initiative meant to support children and the many issues they are facing today. After giving a strong speech that was met with a standing ovation and positive feedback, the focus from opposition media has been on an educational booklet, ‘Talking With Kids About Being Online,’ produced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2009,” she wrote.
The statement continued: “Mrs. Trump agreed to add Be Best branding and distribute the booklet in an effort to use her platform to amplify the positive message within. As she said in yesterday’s speech, she is going to use Be Best to promote people and organizations to encourage conversation and replication, and helping the FTC distribute this booklet is just one small example.”
Melania and Donald wed in 2005 and share one son together, Barron, 12.
