Everyone's Calling Out Melania Trump's New Campaign For This Detail & It's Not OK
On Monday, May 7, Melania Trump unveiled her official platform as first lady, which is expected to focus on a multitude of issues that affect children, including cyberbullying and opioid abuse, according to USA Today. The name of the effort is "Be Best," which appears to be meant to encourage kids to be the best they can be. But apparently, not too many people are feeling the motto and called out Trump on Twitter over what they believe is poor grammar. Just check out the tweets about Melania's Trump grammar and #BeBest. It's really more hurtful than you can probably imagine.
On May 7, Trump rolled out the Be Best campaign, which is meant to help children build their “social and emotional health” via working on three pillars: well being, social media, and opioid abuse, according to the speech she gave in the White House Rose Garden. "Let us teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and encourage them to be best in their individual paths in life," she said.
Over the 16 months that Trump has served as our country's first lady, she's been mocked for her English, which is extremely upsetting for one big reason: it's not her first language. Trump, who was born in Slovenia, speaks Slovenian as her native tongue. But aside from that, this is her very first, long-awaited initiative, so you'd hope people would be a little more decent and understanding regardless of her "poor grammar." But clearly, some social media users missed the message and took to Twitter to roast her over the motto.
Say what you like about Trump's political activities, but criticizing someone for something like their accent or their command of grammar (in a second language!) is really not OK. And as a side note for the grammar police out there: Trump speaks at least six different languages — including Slovenian, Serbian, Italian, German, French, and English. So anyone who doesn't have perfect grammar in six other languages should maybe keep their comments to themselves... Just a thought.
Anyway, for those who missed the meaning, her comments on the campaign actually explain the context of #BeBest. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Trump said:
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 often times turn to forms of destructive or addictive behavior such as bullying, drug addiction or even suicide.
"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," she continued.
So, by her own statement, the campaign name isn't just about instructing children to be "their" best, but rather, telling the adults in the lives of these children that they're the ones who need to step it up.
Even though critics have slammed Trump over the name of her new initiative, she knew it was coming. During her husband's presidential campaign, Trump had said she would make cyberbullying one of her main focuses if she were first lady. But after President Trump took office it seemed to have fallen off her agenda — which resulted in even harsher criticism. However, on March 20, she finally sat down with technology industry executives at the White House to discuss cyberbullying, internet safety and more — and she used the meeting to address the skepticism and criticism over her campaign head-on.
“I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic," she said in March. "I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue, and I know that will continue.”
While people may always have something to say about Trump and her initiatives, at least she's made it clear that she won't be deterred. So there's that.
