Donald Trump Says Melania 'Can't Fly for One Month' and Still Recovering from Her 'Big Operation'

As Donald Trump headed north for the G7 summit without wife Melania by his side, the commander in chief assured reporters that the first lady is “doing great” — but can’t fly on doctors’ orders.

“She wanted to go,” the president told reporters Friday morning before boarding Marine One en route to Quebec for the G7. “Can’t fly for one month.”

From Canada, the president was continuing on to Singapore for the North Korea summit.

When asked why the first lady should avoid air travel, the president replied that “the doctors say.”

“She had a big operation, that was close to a four-hour operation,” he continued, before adding that “she’s doing great.”

He then noted for the second time in thirty seconds that his wife is “right there,” while emphatically pointing a finger up toward the second floor of the White House.

Meanwhile, Melania Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, tells PEOPLE Mrs. Trump “can’t travel internationally yet, that’s all.”

The first lady’s weeks-long disappearance from the public eye following a “successful” kidney procedure prompted rampant speculation about her well-being.

The 48-year-old Mrs. Trump made her first public appearance on Wednesday after a 27-day absence when she silently accompanied her husband for a briefing on hurricane preparedness at FEMA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“She went through a little rough patch but she’s doing great,” Trump said during that event. “The people of our country love you. Thank you, honey.”

She previously reemerged Monday evening at a White House ceremony to honor Gold Star families, but the reception was “closed press,” meaning reporters were not allowed to attend or cover the event. However, Mrs. Trump did share a tweet that showed her at the event.

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Before that, the first lady was last seen on May 10, when she joined her husband at Joint Base Andrews to welcome home three America detainees from North Korea.

Four days later, her office made the surprise announcement that the first lady had undergone a “successful” kidney procedure, but would remain hospitalized for the remainder of the week.

The first lady returned home on May 19 and remained unseen for 15 days, even as her spokesperson confirmed she was taking part in “internal meetings” and Trump assured reporters on May 25 with a finger thrust toward the White House residence that she is indeed “right there.”