Melania Trump revealed on Tuesday that ‘love’ has helped her during challenging times in her life. 

‘Throughout my life, I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times. Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy, and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles,’ she said at the State Department’s International Women of Courage Awards. 

‘Today, we celebrate courage – a strength that is based in love,’ she told the female heavy crowd.

Dressed in a belted-leopard print trench coat and her signature stiletto heels, the first lady made her first public appearance in almost a month. She even flashed a rare smile, applauding the women as they were honored for the work.

She did not mention any personal troubles that she has experience, but, in the past, has spoken of her terror when there was an assassination attempt against President Donald Trump and her anger at prosecutions against her husband.

But, on Tuesday, the focus was on celebrating international women. 

Melania herself is an international woman. She born in Slovenia and became an American citizen in July 2006. 

She and Secretary of State Marco Rubio honored eight women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership. 

‘Their remarkable stories a testament to the power of love in practice – for family, community and our world,’ the first lady said.

Several female members of the president’s Cabinet and his supporters were on hand to mark the occasion: Rubio’s wife Jeanette Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez de remer.

Rubio joked: ‘We’re missing Tulsi Gabbard. She’s probably spying somewhere.’

He commended the awardees for their courage and thanked them for their work ‘securing a more just world.’ 

It was the fifth year Melania Trump attended the ceremony. She also attended each year during her first tenure as first lady. 

This year’s group of honorees included Amit Soussana of Israel, who was held hostage after the October 7th attacks; Namini Wijedasa, a journalist chronicling atrocities in Sri Lanka; and Major Velena Iga, who has been a key figure in combating violence against women, sorcery accusation-related violence, and trafficking in persons in Papua New Guinea.

Melania Trump praised their work. 

‘This truth is illustrated through our honorees, who prove that love can inspire extraordinary valor even in the face of vulnerability,’ she said.  

Soussana, who became known for her candid account of the acts of terror she endured in captivity in Gaza, was the only honoree who spoke.

‘I was taken hostage by Hamas and held captive for 55 days, 55 days of fear, of pain and of being stripped of every freedom I once took for granted. In captivity, I had no control over my body, no control over my life. I resisted as best as I could, but it was not enough to stop what happened to me,’ she said.

She thanked President Trump for his work in releasing hostages.

‘I accept this award, not for myself, but in the name of all the brave women of Israel,’ she said.