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Washington (CNN)Traditionally, it's the role of the first lady to accompany spouses of visiting foreign leaders around Washington. That often means a good deal of showcasing local museums, schools, monuments and gardens. It's essentially playing tour guide, but it's part of the role of representing the Administration and playing gracious hostess to very VIP out of town guests.
Melania Trump appears to be breaking with this particular tradition.
On two pre-scheduled Washington stops Friday, one to Gallaudet University and the other to attend a National Cherry Blossom Festival committee meeting at the Japanese embassy, the first lady of Japan, Akie Abe, was alone, without Mrs. Trump to guide her.
"The First Lady was very much looking forward to welcoming Mrs. Abe to the White House upon her arrival in Washington; however, she was informed that Mrs. Abe had previous commitments during her stay in DC," the statement said.
"The First Lady was very much looking forward to welcoming Mrs. Abe to the White House upon her arrival in Washington; however, she was informed that Mrs. Abe had previous commitments during her stay in DC," the statement said.
This story has been updated to add comment from the first lady's office
originally posted by: loam
a reply to: pryingopen3rdeye
Right. The quote isn't consistent with the point the OP is making.
Am I missing something?
WSJ
A weekend missile launch from North Korea offered a vivid illustration of how Mr. Trump has abandoned crowd-pleasing campaign rhetoric in the face of real-world threats. As a candidate, Mr. Trump said a U.S. defense agreement with Japan was unfair, permitting the Japanese to sit home and watch “Sony” TV while the U.S. was attacked. With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visiting his Mar-a-Lago estate, the two men made a joint appearance Saturday night in response to the missile launch and Mr. Trump proclaimed that the “United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%.”
It's traditional to escort visiting dignitaries and their wives around when they visit our capital - at least dignitaries of a certain rank. Prime Minister Abe and his wife have been escorted by the Bushes (in that era) and the Obamas.