New York, New York - Melania Trump on Tuesday invited CNN and POLITICO to cover her at the UN despite President Donald Trump's decision to ban the outlets from the White House press pool.

Last week, President Trump abruptly banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from accessing the White House, claiming the outlets published "fiction and lies" about him.

In an apparently defiant move, Melania approved CNN and POLITICO to cover her as she attended the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, during which she gave a speech about the expansion of her "Fostering the Future Together" initiative.

Trump was clearly not in on his wife's plans – when he spotted CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins at the event, he told her: "You shouldn't be here."

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The bizarre move from Melania comes as the Trumps have been facing scrutiny in recent years about the state of their marriage. This was fueled by her decision to avoid the public eye as her husband ran for president – a decision she has continued to abide by for much of his second term.

Melania has also avoided publicly commenting or defending the president's aggressive and controversial agenda, only agrees to soft-ball interviews with Fox News, and has opted out of living at the White House with her husband.

CNN reporter Betsy Klein noted the first lady's decision is indicative of how she operates "independently of her husband, doing things her way."

Klein further said Melania is "meticulously involved" in every aspect of her public appearances – from her remarks down to her outfits – and sources say she and her office were well aware of the ban when they invited the outlets.