The speculation about first lady Melania Trump following her absence from the public eye after her undergoing kidney surgery in May is not surprising, but it's "absolutely ridiculous," Rep. Mia Love said Tuesday.
"She is not an elected official," the Utah Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "She had surgery. You should give her a little bit of slack."
On Monday, the first lady made her first public appearance in 24 days when she attended a White House event honoring the nation's Gold Star families. Reporters were not invited to the event, but she tweeted photos from the ceremonies, including two of her sitting next to the president.
Love attacked the left over the speculation and criticism over the first lady, saying that "they say they want diversity, but if you think differently, they will attack you, do whatever they can possibly to make sure they discredit you."
But, she said has seen the same thing happen with members of Congress, "with everybody. It happens to me."
For example, Love said, she is the only black, female Republican member of Congress, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, who has recruited "a white male that doesn't live in the district to run against me. So it is, instead of helping to recruit more women, help support women in politics, it is if you don't think the same way, that is the not the the diversity they like."
Meanwhile, Love will also be playing in the upcoming charity baseball game fo the Republicans, where she will take Rep. Steve Scalise's second-base position on the field, as he is still recovering from an shooting attack during the team's practice last year.
"I'm just honored that I was asked to go and play," she said. "I won't be pitching. I'm playing second place, and going to be doing a lot of the running because those guys need someone a little faster to run around the bases."
She is also a member of a bipartisan delegation team on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and said why she became involved was to push to get a bill on the floor.
"I was so frustrated that we weren't actually doing our job," said Love. "Our job is to create a uniform rule of naturalization, not leaving it to the White House, not doing executive orders, but for to us do something. When we were talking to leadership about getting a bill, working the bill, we weren't getting anywhere."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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