First lady Melania Trump was greeted by a handful of protesters outside Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where she visited an intensive care unit for newborns suffering from opioid withdrawal Tuesday.
A few protesters held signs with slogans like “Melania Leave Philly!” and “Complicit” and chanted “Shame on you, Melania!” and “Families belong together” outside the hospital, according to a pool report.
Trump also spoke at a hospital conference on newborns exposed to opioids in the womb.
“As the caretakers of the next generation, it is our responsibility to protect our most valuable and vulnerable, our children,” Trump said, according to CNN.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was also at the conference and discussed the “heartbreakingly common” neonatal abstinence syndrome that affects babies born to mothers who are addicted to drugs, reported CNN.
Trump joked about “a little delay” at the beginning of her remarks at the conference after a mechanical issue forced her plane to return to Joint Base Andrews after taking off around 9 a.m. for Philadelphia.
Smoke and a burning smell permeated the cabin of the plane, and reporters placed wet towels on their faces at the recommendation of the flight crew, reported Peter Alexander of NBC News.
The first lady was able to make it to the hospital by 11 a.m. and visit families affected by the opioid crisis.