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

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 support 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.

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 support 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 privately with a young transplant patient 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 released in May.