Her appearance comes a day after a former Playboy model told of a 10-month affair with Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON — Melania Trump spoke about courage Friday – what it is and why the world needs it. Her closely watched public appearance came a day after a former Playboy model told the world details of a 10-month affair the model says she had with a married Donald Trump a decade before he was elected president.
If the relationship Karen McDougal alleges was on the first lady’s mind, she gave no hint of it.
A standing ovation greeted a smiling Melania Trump as she entered a State Department auditorium for an annual awards ceremony honoring non-U.S. women for acts of courage.
She took her seat on stage in a plush chair and listened as State Department official Heather Nauert introduced her as a philanthropist and humanitarian who is focused on the well-being of children and who works tirelessly to raise awareness of the damaging effects of opioid addiction and cyberbullying.
Then it was the first lady’s turn to speak.
“As we recognize these incredible women, let us think for a moment about what courage truly is,” she said. “Courage is the quality most needed in this world. Yet, it is often the hardest to find. Courage sets apart those who believe in a higher calling and those who act on it.
“It takes courage not only to see wrong, but strive to right it,” she said.
The first lady said “we can teach young women and girls all over the world what it means to have courage and to be a hero” by publicizing the honorees’ stories.
The Trumps headed to their estate home in Palm Beach, Florida, but arrived separately at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for the Friday afternoon flight on Air Force One, although the president’s public schedule had them leaving the White House together. When they landed in Florida, Melania Trump and son Barron descended from the plane a few steps ahead of the president before all three departed in a motorcade to Mar-a-Lago.
The first lady was expected to stay in Florida through Easter, per tradition.
McDougal, the former Playboy model, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper during a lengthy interview broadcast Thursday night that the affair with Trump began at a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2006, while he was married to the future first lady, who had recently given birth to Barron. McDougal said she ended the relationship in 2007 out of guilt.
McDougal is suing in California, seeking to invalidate a confidentiality agreement with a company that owns the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer.
She apologized to the first lady during the broadcast after Cooper asked what she would say if Melania Trump were watching.
“What can you say except, I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” McDougal said. “I wouldn’t want it done to me. I’m sorry.”
The president’s marriage is likely to remain the subject of public fascination – as are most White House unions. On Sunday, CBS’ “60 Minutes” is due to air Cooper’s interview with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual relationship with Trump at around the same time as McDougal..
Trump, through his representatives, has denied the women’s allegations.
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