First Lady Melania Trump will not appear at Pennsylvania rally as she experiences 'lingering cough'

First lady Melania Trump will not appear with the president at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday due to what her chief of staff described as "a lingering cough."

"Mrs. Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from COVID-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today," the first lady's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

The first lady's attendance at the Pennsylvania event would have marked her first public appearance since getting over COVID-19, and her first campaign trail appearance since 2019, according to the Associated Press. The outlet noted that she spoke during the Republican National Convention in August.

Melania Trump's last public appearance occurred at the first presidential debate, on Sept. 29, shortly before she and her husband tested positive for COVID-19, the wire service also reported. President Trump and his wife have since tested negative.

Last week, the first lady released a statement in which she discussed her experience with the illness, and divulged that her son, Barron Trump, had also tested positive, though she said he did not show symptoms and eventually tested negative.

"I was very fortunate as my diagnosis came with minimal symptoms, though they hit me all at once and it seemed to be a roller coaster of symptoms in the days after," she explained in the statement. "I experienced body aches, a cough and headaches, and felt extremely tired most of the time. I chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food."