October 17, 2018
UPDATE (1:21 p.m.): The first lady landed in Philadelphia shortly before 11 a.m. She boarded a different plane after the first flight emitted a burning smell and visible smoke.
UPDATE (10:02 a.m.): The plane carrying Melania Trump was forced to turn around not long after takeoff due to a "burning smell" reported by people on board the flight.
According to NBC News, a mechanical issue with the plane caused smoke and the burning odor, which became stronger after the plane took off. Reporters onboard the flight described a thin haze of visible smoke and were given wet towels to protect their faces from smoke exposure.
Trump has deplaned at Joint Base Andrew, but NBC reported that the first lady is "fine" after the "minor mechanical issue" and is looking forward to visiting Philadelphia today.
Two weeks after her husband stopped by Philadelphia, first lady Melania Trump is making a visit to the city as part of her Be Best campaign.
Trump will be visiting Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to meet with families of children who were affected opioid exposure in the womb. She will be joined by Alex Azar, U.S. health and human services secretary.
Trump will be touring a neonatal intensive care nursery and speak at a U.S. health department conference to discuss a system that tracks newborns and infants undergoing opioid withdrawal.
The first lady's Be Best campaign was unveiled last May, and Trump has described the initiative as a way to promote the well-being of children, including raising awareness of online bullying and the impact of opioids on youth.
FLOTUS recently returned from her first major solo trip abroad. She visited Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt earlier this month, working with USAID in preparation, also as mean of promoting Be Best.
If you're working or traveling in Philly today, keep in mind that FLOTUS will be in Center City throughout the day and her motorcade and security detail may cause some traffic and commuter delays.
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