Melania Trump told she can’t donate blood to Las Vegas shooting victims

US First Lady Melania Trump reportedly considered donating blood but was forbidden because she came from Europe. The Slovenia-born former model allegedly wanted to help the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

According to CNN reporter Kate Bennett on Twitter, the 47-year-old wife of Donald Trump was prevented by presidential medical guidelines to donate her blood. “Source tells me @FLOTUS was considering donating blood while in Vegas, but presidential medical guidelines prevented her from doing so.”

It is unclear if the US has such restrictions for the wife and family of the sitting president. However, one follower pointed out that Vice President Mike Pence donated blood in June in honour of the victims of the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting in Virginia.

Another follower pointed out that the source must be talking about the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Blood donors who resided in Europe for five years or more between 1980 and the present would be deferred.

“Most European countries now have reported BSE, although in fewer cattle than in the UK. However, methods to prevent from getting into human food are not completely in place in all European countries, so we recommend deferral up to the present time,” the FDA guideline reads. BSE, more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, is a infectious disease that causes a spongiform degeneration of the central nervous system.

Melania, nee Knauss, was born in the city of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, in 1970. She moved to New York City in 1996 to follow her modelling career.

She and the president visited Las Vegas to visit the victims of the shooting after Stephen Paddock fired automatic weapon at the Route 91 Harvest Festival concert-goers from his 32^nd floor room of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on Sunday. He left 58 dead and 489 people injured.

This is not the first time Melania attempted to donate something but was rebuffed. Late last month, a US school librarian had to return 10 Dr Seuss books donation from the US First Lady as well.