So what did Melania have to do that was more important than being a hostess to Mrs. Abe?

[pinboy3niner]

60. Story has been updated with comment from the first lady's office

The original story reported:

Mrs. Trump, who has decided to live in New York through the end of the school year with her and the President's son Barron, was on hand to greet the Abes Friday afternoon and flew with them and her husband aboard Air Force One to Palm Beach, Florida, for a weekend stay at Mar-a-Lago.

This update was added Friday night at 10:36 PM ET:

Hours after this story was published Friday afternoon, Mrs. Trump's office released a statement explaining her whereabouts:

"The First Lady was very much looking forward to welcoming Mrs. Abe to the White House upon her arrival in Washington; however, she was informed that Mrs. Abe had previous commitments during her stay in DC," the statement said.

"The first lady flew to (Andrews Air Force Base) to meet the President, Prime Minister Abe and Mrs. Abe to be able to fly with them on Air Force One as it was Mrs. Abe's first opportunity to spend time with the first lady. They will all be together for the weekend at Mar-a-Lago and have a full itinerary. Mrs. Trump is delighted to be able to welcome the Prime Minister and Mrs. Abe to the first family's winter home, which is a very special place to her and to the entire Trump family."

There was a dinner scheduled for Friday evening for the Abes and the Trumps at Mar-a-Lago, and on Saturday, it is expected the two spouses will be alone together while their husbands play golf and talk diplomacy.

But the absence of Melania Trump during Mrs. Abe's visit to the nation's capital marks a departure from past tradition, something that's fast becoming a hallmark of this new administration.

This story has been updated to add comment from the first lady's office.