According to some close friends of the Trumps, even they were taken off guard by the news that Melania was undergoing surgery at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a "benign kidney condition." It seems that the White House did a good job at keeping this piece of information private, as people like Paolo Zampolli, UN ambassador and friend of Melania, heard about the information along with the rest of the world through the media, according to People.
For Melania's friends and admirers, it was disappointing to hear that President Trump was absent during her surgery. Instead, he attended a daily intelligence briefing at 11 a.m., had lunch with Vice President Mike Pence at 12:30 p.m., and also called a number of important figures. These included James Shaw Jr., who's come to be known as the "Waffle House hero" for disarming an active shooter, preventing more deaths.
Finally, around 5 p.m., Trump boarded Marine One to visit his wife, who is expected to stay at the hospital "for the duration of the week." Trump let everyone know via Twitter that it was a "Successful procedure, she is in good spirits." He was reportedly with his wife for about over an hour, and he departed around 6:30 p.m.
