She’s been the First Lady of the United States for 16 months and Melania Trump has finally unveiled her first major solo project. While her husband Donald was in attendance, he didn’t speak at the event and let his wife take full control.
Speaking to the press in the Rose Garden at the White House in a speech that lasted 10 minutes, the 48-year-old revealed her “Be Best” campaign. Trump told the audience the campaign focused on three main aspects – well-being, fighting opioid abuse and positivity.
“As a mother and as First Lady, it concerns me that in today’s fast-paced and ever-connected world, children can be less prepared to express or manage their emotions and oftentimes turn to forms of destructive or addictive behaviour such as bullying, drug addiction or even suicide,” she explained. “I feel strongly that as adults we can and should be best at educating our children about the importance of a healthy and balanced life.”
Melania Trump: "I'm very excited to announce 'Be best,' an awareness campaign dedicated to the most valuable and fragile among us, our children." pic.twitter.com/ibPE01beI8
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 7, 2018
She said too many people were using social media negatively and it was impacting the lives of children across the world.
“As we all know, social media can both positively and negatively affect our children. But too often, it is used in negative ways,” Trump said. “When children learn positive online behaviours early on, social media can be used in productive ways and can affect positive change.”
Her calls appeared to fall on deaf ears, with people taking to social media to slam Trump’s confusing slogan. Although the message is very important, many took to Twitter to explain the awkward grammatical structure of the slogan was confusing.
https://twitter.com/Julie_Vit/status/993568743002394624
everyone in the media rn trying to figure out what "be best" means
— Rachel Witkin (@rachel_witkin) May 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/heatherkelly/status/993568539599556608
One user wrote: “Be (Your) Best”? “Be (The) Best”? No. Be Best”.
Another comment read: “Be Best. Be Bester. Be Bestest,” while a third added: “At this very moment, all across the country, comms professionals are shuddering in sympathetic cringe. #BeBest”.
The White House later released a statement about the Be Best campaign, which caused further confusion.
“First Lady Melania Trump today announced BE BEST, an awareness campaign focusing on some of the major issues facing children today,” it read. “The goal is to encourage children to BE BEST in their individual paths in life, and teach them about the importance of social, emotional, and physical health.”
In terms of well-being, Trump said the campaign would focus on values such as healthy living, encouragement, kindness, and respect. She said parents, teachers, and other adults can help prepare children for their futures by encouraging this behaviour.
She said she wanted to encourage everyone to use social media in positive ways and wanted to help families and children impacted by opioid abuse.
For the launch, Trump wore a tan coat and a tight white pencil skirt to match. She wore her luscious brunette locks down for the event and her makeup was as stunning as always.
What do you think of Melania Trump? Does she make a good First Lady of the United States?