Following the declaration of a national emergency by President Donald Trump in order to get funding for his border wall, the president and his wife, Melania Trump, headed off to Florida to the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. While the president appeared to spend the weekend playing golf, Monday saw them make some public appearances on Presidents’ Day.
On Monday morning, First Lady Melania headed to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where she was scheduled to unveil the new healing garden, according to NBC News Miami . The visit was not publicized ahead of time.
Melania was there to unveil the “Morton and Linda Bouchard Healing Garden,” as well as reveal the newly renamed “Esrick Dream Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Floor.”
“It is because of the generous donations of people like Morton and Linda Bouchard, or Steve and Kiki Esrick of the Dream Foundation, that hospitals can offer more care and comfort to children who are already battling to get well,” Melania said in a statement. “Thank you to all the generous donors for supporting the hospital and thank you to Jack and Barbara Nicklaus for inviting me to be part of this special occasion. I hope the new garden brings renewed strength to each child that visits.”
A beautiful ceremony at @Nicklaus4kids hospital today to celebrate their new changes! I hope the garden nurtures & heals all the young patients who visit. Thank you to the generous donors & to @Nicklaus4kids for all the important work you are doing. #BeBest pic.twitter.com/qrxXgOGWkR
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) February 18, 2019
The first lady also emphasized the link between physical and mental health, and the wonders of meditation. Fitting perfectly into her Be Best initiative is the health and well-being of young children in the U.S., making her a sensible choice to unveil the new parts of the hospital. Melania was also present when the healing garden was advertised at a luncheon in New York City back in 2017, according to the Daily Mail .
While there, Melania and Barbara Nicklaus also released a butterfly with a patient who is being treated at the hospital.
In the meantime, President Trump has been under increasing pressure since his national emergency declaration on Friday, with multiple lawsuits having already been filed and more threatened against him. While the president was scheduled to appear at the Florida International University for a speech, multiple rallies broke out across the country as disgruntled Americans use the day off to share their disdain for the president.
According to Truth Out , by Sunday morning there were already more than 230 protests planned countrywide. A number of progressive groups appear to have been behind the rallies, encouraging everyone to use the day off to get involved and make their voices heard.
In areas where events weren’t planned, people were urging residents to organize one of their own.
