Melania Trump visited the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, holding an early Valentine’s Day gathering with children and young adults who are being treated for rare and serious diseases, according to the Associated Press. The first lady spent time chatting with patients about their lives and health as part of the event, which also included Valentine-themed activities.
After participants finished making flower bouquets and lanterns from construction paper and other materials, they moved to a dessert bar set up with mini cupcakes and jars of mini chocolates and other candies, the AP reported. During the visit, Melania Trump made a comment ahead of Valentine’s Day about sweets, telling those there, “I don’t eat much sweets,” and adding, “Sugar is not that healthy for us.”
The Children’s Inn visit also included a personal exchange between the first lady and a young male patient, AP said. The young man told Trump he did not know how to address her and wondered whether “your highness” was an option; she responded, “Melania,” with a smile, according to the report.
AP said the Children’s Inn is a nonprofit that provides support to children and young adults receiving treatment through clinical trials for rare and serious diseases. The visit was described by the Associated Press as Trump’s first trip to the facility in the second Trump administration and her fourth as first lady; AP said she had visited three times in her first term.
The report placed the visit in the context of federal funding debates affecting the NIH and its research work. Under President Donald Trump, the AP reported, NIH has cut billions of dollars in research projects, including clinical trials testing treatments for cancer, brain diseases and other health problems, and citing a recent report that said those cuts affected more than 74,000 people enrolled in the experiments.
AP also reported that Congress has approved a $47 billion NIH budget for the year, providing a small raise and rejecting the Trump administration’s call for a nearly 40% cut to the agency’s funding. The Associated Press report said AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to the story.