Why is Melania Trump heading to Africa without husband Donald Trump today?

Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, is visiting Africa alone.

The mother-of-one to Barron Trump headed off on her solo trip today, and it is not know how long she will be out of the US.

Melania Trump’s trip to Africa, which is her first international trip without her husband, was announced last week.

She revealed at the meeting that she will visit Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt.

Melania said on her Twitter account on 28 September: “This year’s #UNGA reception was a success – thank you again to all who attended & @USAID for your support.

“Looking forward to spreading the message of #BeBest & representing the #USA as I travel to #Africa next week – #Ghana, #Malawi, #Kenya & #Egypt.”

She added: “Looking forward to working with @USAID to take my campaign #BeBest to Africa next week.

“Together, we can do great things on behalf of the next generation.”

It is not know exactly why Donald Trump is not going to Africa with his wife Melania, although it may be for similar reasons that the royals go abroad without their spouses.

Kate Middleton did not join Prince William on his recent trip to Africa.

OK! royal expert Christina Reeves said: “Typically William has always worked solo in his fight against illegal wildlife trade, which is why we wouldn’t see Kate join him on a trip like this or him joining Kate on her own personal projects, such as promoting the importance of perinatal, maternal and children’s mental health.”

As Melania is promoting her Be Best campaign she may have taken the trip solo to focus on her work.

Her spokeswoman revealed more details to major US news outlets.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN: “Mrs. Trump has always envisioned her first international trip would be Africa.

“So, we’ve ‘known’ that we would be doing this since the very beginning.”

She added: “This is a diplomatic and humanitarian visit, which will include stops focusing on healthcare, education, conservation and tourism.

“As with all that the first lady does, the well-being of children will be a focus at most of the stops.”

Melania Trump’s Be Best campaign focuses her charitable efforts as First Lady on children.

The programme aims to improve the lives of children across the world.

The White House website says of Be Best: “The mission of BE BEST is to focus on some of the major issues facing children today, with the goal of encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health.

“BE BEST will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse.”

Donald Trump told journalists last week: “We both love Africa. Africa is so beautiful, the most beautiful part of the world, in many ways.”

Melania Trump wore a black dress recently, which sparked a Donald and Kavanaugh conspiracy theory on Twitter. 

One Twitter user asked: “Is Melania #Trump trolling the president by wearing black in solidarity with sexual assault?”

Another said: “@FLOTUS wearing black in solidarity of the women.. all women who have been sexually abused, oppressed, beat’n, broken. Not only for America but the whole world..Thank you..!! #ICareNow.”

Melania Trump: Five facts about the USA’s First Lady

Languages

Mum-of-one Melania can speak more languages than any other First Lady before her: English, French, German, Italian, Serbian and of course her mother tongue, Slovenian.

This also makes her the only First Lady whose first language is not English.

Religion

After Jacqueline Kennedy, Melania is the second First Lady who is a practising Catholic.

She met Pope Francis as part of a foreign tour with her husband and stepdaughter Ivanka last year.

Career

Melania was a successful model, posing for Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and GQ.

Her skills aren’t confined to print, and she appeared in a commercial for Aflac, an American insurance company, in 2005.

Family

Melania’s parents are Amalija Knavs and Viktor Knavs, and the couple live together in Washington.

She has one sister, Ines, who is reported to live in New York and work as an artist.

Charity

On May 7 2018, Melania launched her flagship campaign as First Lady, BE BEST, which The White House describes as “an awareness campaign focused entirely around the well-being of children”.

There are three main strands to the initiative: well-being, social media, and opioid abuse.