Melania Trump flew to New York for 'meetings,' skipping the president's birthday

While President Trump celebrated his 72nd birthday, first lady Melania flew to New York on a mysterious work trip.

On Thursday, friends and family wished the president a happy birthday on social media, however, Melania was quiet. Her silence, it turns out, was due in part to work commitments in New York City, a trip her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham confirmed to People Friday.

Melania “was in New York (with staff) Tuesday evening through midday Thursday,” Grisham told the publication. In fact, the Daily Mail ran photos of the first lady seated in the back of an SUV Thursday after leaving Trump Tower in Manhattan.

However, in an interview with Fox News that day, the president confirmed that his wife found time to wish him well, telling reporter Steve Doocy, “I got a lot of good kisses. I got a lot of phone calls from people.” In response to who the kisses were from, Trump answered, “My beautiful wife, who’s really doing great.”

The first lady’s itinerary seems to corroborate her treatment plan — last week, Trump told reporters that his wife “can’t fly for one month” due to a May 14th procedure for a benign kidney condition, which caused her to drop from view for nearly 30 days. President Trump created further fascination in June during a White House event, when he made an “awkward” joked that Melania had left him.

After canceling a bunch of June commitments such as the North Korean summit in Singapore, the G7 meeting in Quebec, and a family vacation to Camp David, Melania returned to the spotlight on June 6th at a Federal Emergency Management Agency meeting in Washington, D.C., wearing a beige dress, followed by a more glam appearance at Ford’s Theatre on the 10th, wearing a $4,595 black gown by Escada.

Melania is reportedly scheduled to travel again in July, joining her husband on a trip to England, according to the U.K. Sun. There, per the outlet, the first couple will sit down with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed in May.

If the rumors are true, Melania may see a familiar face — in September, she and Harry met during the Invictus Games in Toronto, posing for a viral photo that was deemed “awkward” due to the royal making an odd but accidental hand gesture.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Ivanka Trump celebrates President Trump’s birthday with family photos

• Melania Trump appears at her first solo public appearance in weeks — and wears a $4,595 gown

• President Trump says Melania had a ‘4-hour operation’ and ‘can’t fly for one month’ — is that normal?

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