Conan jokes about Melania Trump absence: We are hiking the Appalachian Trail

Conan O’Brien on Saturday joked that he was “hiking the Appalachian Trail” with first lady Melania Trump, a joke that comes in response to widespread interest in her whereabouts.

Trump has not been seen in public since May 14, when she returned to the White House after undergoing a kidney-related medical procedure.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed hikin​g the Appalachian Trail these past 22 days with Melania Trump,” the late-night host wrote on Twitter.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed hikin​g the Appalachian Trail these past 22 days with Melania Trump.

— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) June 1, 2018

As some began to speculate about Trump’s absence, she hit back at the media in a tweet on Wednesday.

“I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I’m doing,” she wrote. “Rest assured, I’m here at the @WhiteHouse w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!”

I see the media is working overtime speculating where I am & what I’m doing. Rest assured, I’m here at the @WhiteHouse w my family, feeling great, & working hard on behalf of children & the American people!

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) May 30, 2018

Trump did not join her husband at Camp David this weekend, opting to stay at the White House instead.

O’Brien’s joke also appeared to be a reference to former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R) 2009 extramarital affair. When Sanford disappeared for days to visit his mistress in Argentina, a staffer claimed that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Sanford later acknowledged it was a lie.