Melania Trump meets with patients, visits garden at Washington children’s hospital

By MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press WASHINGTON AP First lady Melania Trump was set to visit with sick patients at Children s National hospital in Washington on Thursday as the children made Fourth of July arts and crafts ahead of the holiday Trump continuing a tradition of promotion by first ladies for the pediatric care center was also expected during her visit to visit a rooftop healing garden she dedicated during the first Trump administration to first ladies of the United States Related Articles Putin and Trump to speak by phone in their th conversation this year How a GOP rift over tech regulation doomed a ban on state AI laws in Trump s tax bill Selected instruction grants in limbo were used for leftwing agenda Trump administration says House Republicans are ready to finish Trump s bill Not so fast Democratic leader Jeffries says New CIA analysis criticizes analysis into Russia s endorsement for Trump in The Bunny Mellon Healing Garden set to be decked out in decorations for Independence Day on Friday was named to honor Rachel Bunny Mellon a friend of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Mellon was a philanthropist and avid gardener who designed the Rose Garden and other White House gardens during the Kennedy administration The garden was dedicated to America s first ladies because of their decades-long patronage for the hospital and its patients including a traditional first lady visit at Christmastime that dates back to Bess Truman Trump along with chief White House groundskeeper Dale Haney is set to inspect the planting of a new yellow rose bush donated by the White House and planted earlier in the week at the hospital garden After the first lady is scheduled to visit the heart and kidney unit at the hospital Later Thursday the first lady was expected to join President Donald Trump in the Oval Office where they set to meet with Edan Alexander the last living American hostage in Gaza who was disclosed in May