The first lady of the United States is back.

First lady Melania Trump, looking healthy and strong, tweeted photos this week of being back on the job. But her appearance at a scheduled event on Monday night did not fully slake the media’s recent bloodlust, which cast her as missing in action after a recent surgery.

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Much to the frustration of some conspiracy-theorist media members, Melania Trump appeared alongside her husband at a ceremony honoring Gold Star families in the East Room of the White House, as multiple outlets reported. The event was closed to the press, but photos quickly peppered social media.

“Why are they so intent on tearing down conservative women in many cases?” asked “Fox & Friends” anchor Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Tuesday morning.

Kilmeade mentioned headlines from major media outlets that have persisted in circulating wild theories about Mrs. Trump, including comments about why she won’t be going to Singapore — a 21-hour flight — with President Donald Trump next week.

Here’s a hint: She had surgery a few weeks ago. Is it really that hard to understand?

Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) agreed with Kilmeade — and shared some of her own experiences with the political Establishment’s determination to keep conservative women down.

The press has gone to great lengths to convince readers that Melania Trump’s brief absence from the public eye was due to some secret situation rather than the mere fact that she’s been recovering from recent surgery.

Even Snopes posted an Associated Press report on her reappearance. AP’s coverage included this gem of a line: “The first lady was seen in the flesh only by the families and administration officials who attended.”

(What?)

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Prior to Monday night, Melania Trump had made no public appearances since May 10, when she and President Trump greeted detainees who had been released from North Korea, as The Washington Post reported. A few days later, she underwent an embolization procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat a benign kidney condition.

Since then, the media and others have floated all kinds of theories about what might explain her brief inaccessibility. Among the theories are these: She moved back to New York City; she is participating in Robert Mueller’s collusion investigation; she is writing an exposé about her husband; and she had plastic surgery instead of a kidney procedure, according to Politico.

Did they miss the part where the first lady spent five days in the hospital? Is it really so unfathomable that a person might need to rest and recover from surgery?

Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best one.

After her medical procedure, the first lady graciously used social media on multiple occasions, even before Monday night’s irrefutable evidence that she is alive and well. On May 16, she thanked Walter Reed’s medical unit, expressed appreciation to well-wishers, and said she was feeling great and looking forward to going home.

On May 18, she expressed her condolences after the tragic shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas.

Less than a week later, she thanked Medal of Honor recipient Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Britt K. Slabinski.

On Memorial Day, she tweeted about honoring the sacrifices of our military and their families.

After her medical procedure, the first lady graciously used social media on multiple occasions, even before Monday night’s irrefutable evidence that she is alive and well.

On May 30, she again took to social media. On this occasion, she directly addressed the media’s nutty speculation and reassured everyone that she was at the White House, that she was “feeling great,” and that she was still hard at work carrying out her duties.

Of course, that was not enough. The conspiracy theories continued to bubble.

Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.