Melania Trump entertained by school choir on Salvation Army centre visit

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Paul Davies

Melania Trump was serenaded with a rendition of Mariah Carey’s festive classic All I Want For Christmas Is You as she visited a Salvation Army centre in east London.

The US First Lady bobbed her head slightly as around 30 children from Baden Powell Primary School belted out the well-known Christmas song.

Wearing a black and white houndstooth check coat over a black sheath dress, the wife of US President Donald Trump appeared to say “bravo” as she congratulated the ensemble.

She also spent around 20 minutes helping the school children make Christmas wreaths, using sparkly pipe cleaners, pine cones and tinsel.

Mrs Trump meets the school choir after watching them perform Credit: Yui Mok/PA

Mrs Trump beamed throughout the visit, commending the Christmas hat-clad youngsters on their festivewear and chatting more generally about the festive season.

The First Lady also joined US Embassy Marines to put gifts in bags to help with the Salvation Army’s annual present appeal for local families.

She placed a white frisbee with her Be Best logo into one bag, and a football into another.

Mrs Trump added some baubles to the Christmas tree at the Salvation Army centre Credit: Yui Mok/PA

Mrs Trump told children how she had never eaten a mince pie.

Reuben Cousins told ITV News he thought she was: "Very kind, polite, she's very caring, she doesn't like judge someone by their looks, she always respects people."

He said she was nicer than he thought she would be, adding: "A lot nicer, because to be honest I'm not the biggest fan of Donald Trump, I don't really like Donald Trump that much...but she's very kind."

Isabelle Bates, 10, told ITV News that meeting Ms Trump was "absolutely incredible".

When asked what the schoolgirl's favourite thing about meeting the US first lady was, she said: "It was probably how kind she was."

"Everyone in my class was expecting her to be grumpy and she wasn't."

Her friend, Quiana Mullings, nine, added: "I at first, when I heard that she had arrived, my brain was exploding, I couldn't even speak because I was surprised to meet her."

Mrs Trump then handed out Be Best branded ornaments to children in the choir after they finished their performance, before leaving in her motorcade.

The First Lady was accompanied to Clapton by Suzanne Johnson, wife of US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson.