Melania Trump tweet fails to dispel conspiracy theories

First Lay of the U.S. Melania Trump unsuccessfully sought to quell rumours about her whereabouts Wednesday, after media noted that she had not been seen in public for 20 days following an operation.

“I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I’m doing,” she wrote on Twitter.

“Rest assured, I’m here at the @WhiteHouse w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!”

Trump had a kidney operation earlier this month, which the White House said had gone well.

She was expected to leave hospital soon afterwards but has not been seen, sparking wild speculation that she had moved back to New York or was cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller.

But her tweet Wednesday failed to dispel the rumours, with other Twitter users sceptical as to whether she had written it herself or whether an aide or her husband US President Donald Trump had.

“Donald has communicated in the past under the pseudonyms John Barron, John Miller, and David Dennison,” comedian Nick Jack Pappas responded.

“Looks like we can add ‘Melania Trump’ to that list.”

The Huffington Post pointed out that the phrases “working overtime,” “speculating,” “working hard” and “on behalf of the American people” feature frequently in the president’s tweets.

“Ha! Whoever this is, give Melania back her phone…” the New York Times columnist Charles M Blow wrote.

“Can you hold up today’s paper?” Twitter user Cat Escalera added.