Be Best

On May 7, First Lady Melania Trump unveiled an initiative from the Rose Garden called Be Best.

The main plank of the Be Best campaign is to speak out against cyberbullying by encouraging values such as kindness and respect for the nation’s youth.

On the initiative’s website, the first lady is quoted as saying, “It remains our generation’s moral imperative to take responsibility and help our children manage the many issues they are facing today, including encouraging positive social, emotional, and physical habits…”

It’s the second straight first lady initiative targeting children. Previously, First Lady Michelle Obama made Let’s Move!, an initiative focused on promoting physical activity and healthier eating to curb childhood obesity, her signature campaign.

A campaign focused on promoting better cyber behavior is very timely and much-needed, but some were quick to point out the palpable irony that the president is perhaps the greatest public cyberbully, evidenced by his use of Twitter as his preferred medium to attack detractors on a daily basis.

The president even reportedly attempted to dissuade the anti-bullying campaign altogether.

Nevertheless, Melania has shrugged off the criticism. “She is aware of the criticism but it will not deter her from doing what is right,” a spokeswoman for the FLOTUS stated. “The president is proud of her commitment to children and encourages her in all that she does.”

She held a cyberbullying summit on Monday, August 20, yet the glaring contradiction remained as her husband spent the day lambasting Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team as a “group of Angry Democrat thugs,” which came just a week after he called former aide Omarosa Manigault Nemwan a “crazed, crying lowlife” and dog.