The First Lady spoke from the White House on Thursday about a new initiative for foster children who age out of the system, and her remarks included a barely concealed jab at President Donald Trump’s favored aide.

Sarah Baxter, director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting, wrote in a Friday column for The iPaper that Melania Trump’s speech was attended by staffers, including "a handsome, long-haired tech dude called Marc Beckman, who goes by the grandiose title 'Exclusive Senior Advisor to First Lady Melania Trump.'"

The speech followed a week of speculation about the president and his top aide, Natalie Harp. The 35-year-old aide was reported to have written letters to Trump filled with praise and appreciation, ending each one "with all my heart." Reports also said Harp sat in the back of an SUV because she said the president wanted her with him when he was on trial in New York.

That prompted Baxter to wonder whether Mrs. Trump has her "own fancier version" of the special assistant to the president.

"Beckman, it turns out, has been advising Melania ever since her eponymous $40 million Amazon docuseries," Baxter wrote. "Two sequels are in the works. On his LinkedIn page, Beckman describes himself as a 'strategic advisor, producer and cultural architect operating at the intersection of global policy, media and emerging technology.' He also writes about AI, crypto and robotics."

Baxter said that may help explain why Mrs. Trump opened her speech by saying, “We are at the beginning of an era defined by artificial intelligence, robotics and industries that have yet to be imagined," before turning to the topic of foster youth. The comment also fit the broader setting of a White House event meant to spotlight a policy issue for young people leaving foster care, even as attention drifted to the people standing nearby.

She also noted that having attractive people around Trump is nothing new. The president has long described those around him as "straight out of central casting." More recently, his pick for Federal Reserve Chairman, Kevin Warsh, told the Senate that, despite Trump’s view, he does not feel he is from "central casting."

Baxter said that for Trump, "appearance matters." Reviewing Harp’s letters to Trump, Baxter added that she "can’t imagine Melania ever writing to Trump like that."

Melania Trump has often defended her husband, including after a tape surfaced of Trump bragging that he can grab women whenever he wants because he is a "celebrity." The First Lady quickly defended him at the time, dismissing the remarks as nothing more than "locker room talk."

Still, when the press spent a week discussing Trump’s attractive blonde aide and asking where the First Lady was, she did appear. “I heard you missed me," Mrs. Trump said. The line underscored how she re-entered the conversation on her own terms, while the focus around the administration continued to center on personality, access and image.

Baxter concluded that although the First Lady may seem irritated with Harp, "my guess is Melania thinks 'rather her than me.' This leaves her free to live as she pleases, while Trump does the same."