Melania Trump makes rare public appearance, welcomes new US citizens

Former US first lady Melania Trump attended naturalisation ceremony of US citizens in a rare public appearance on Friday (Dec 15). She asked those present to "be proud of yourself, stand your ground and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead". Melaniahas been largely absent from the public gaze since former US president Donald Trump left the White House. Last month, sheattended a memorial service for Rosalynn Carter, former US first lady and wife of former US president Jimmy Carter.

Slovenian-born Melania Trump herself became US citizen in 2006. At the ceremony on Friday, she felt "a tremendous sense of pride and belonging."

"My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become US citizens," she told the audience.

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Is there a political statement?

Donald Trump is preparing to win the presidential office again in elections that are due next year. Trump's political stance has been of being tough on migrants. Given this, Melania's choice of event has attracted the gaze of political watchers.

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The venue of the ceremony has also been a topic of discussion as it was carried out at US National Archives. Trump is currently in legal trouble for keeping classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida instead of the national archives.

In her speech at the ceremony, Melania said that she knew that she wanted to make United States her "permanent home" when she arrived in New York in 1996.

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"For me, reaching the milestone of American citizenship marked the sunrise of certainty. At that exact moment, I forever discarded the layer of burden connected with whether I would be able to live in the United States," she said.

Donald Trump's political stance has often seen him demonising immigrants. Through his speech, Trump has repeatedly attacked undocumented people living and working in the US for many years.

(With inputs from agencies)