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Melania Trump to Roll Out a Children’s Agenda, With a Focus on Social Media Melania Trump to Roll Out a Children’s Agenda, With a Focus on Social Media
(about 2 hours later)
WASHINGTON — When she unveils her official initiative as first lady on Monday, Melania Trump will follow in the footsteps of other modern first ladies who focused on their passions.WASHINGTON — When she unveils her official initiative as first lady on Monday, Melania Trump will follow in the footsteps of other modern first ladies who focused on their passions.
Laura Bush championed literacy. Michelle Obama was an advocate for fitness. Mrs. Trump will focus on good behavior on social media as part of a broader initiative that will focus on the overall well-being of children. Laura Bush championed literacy. Michelle Obama was an advocate for fitness. Mrs. Trump will focus on good behavior on social media as part of a broader initiative that will concentrate on the overall well-being of children.
In recent months Mrs. Trump had backed away from her initial promise to combat cyberbullying after the criticism leveled at her husband for his own brand of online insults. Knowing she would get criticized if she pursued anything related to social media, the president suggested she take an easier path. But Mrs. Trump ultimately decided to make good online behavior a part of something broader. In a speech scheduled for delivery in the Rose Garden, Mrs. Trump said that “children deserve every opportunity to enjoy their innocence,” and that the three main pillars of her program, called “Be Best,” would focus on issues of well-being, social media use and opioid abuse among young people.
“We can and should teach children the importance of social and self-awareness, positive relationship skills and responsible decision making,” Mrs. Trump said, according to an advance copy of her speech. “Let us teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and encourage them to be best in their individual paths in life.”
At the end of the speech, President Trump was scheduled to sign a proclamation declaring the day “Be Best” day. Initially, Mrs. Trump had backed away from her original promise to combat cyberbullying after the criticism leveled at her husband for his own brand of online insults. Knowing she would get criticized if she pursued anything related to social media, Mr. Trump suggested she take an easier path. But Mrs. Trump ultimately decided to make good online behavior a part of something broader.
“There are too many critical issues facing children today for her to choose just one,” her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in an email about the first lady’s plans. “She wants to use her platform as first lady to help as many children as she can.”“There are too many critical issues facing children today for her to choose just one,” her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in an email about the first lady’s plans. “She wants to use her platform as first lady to help as many children as she can.”
But like the first lady herself, the full details of the plan are likely to remain mysterious even after they are revealed. She is likely to take up issues she learned about in recent public appearances: She has visited a West Virginia clinic that treats infants born with opioid addiction, and a Michigan school to stress the importance of kindness. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, has been a particular help briefing Mrs. Trump on the opioid crisis, a White House official said. But like the first lady herself, the full details of the plan are likely to remain mysterious even after they are revealed. Her program primarily exists to repackage projects that already exist, including an initiative by the National Safety Council to encourage people to be proactive with talking to their doctors about opioid abuse, and guidelines on child social media activity distributed by the Federal Trade Commission.
In her brief time at the White House — Mrs. Trump moved to Washington with her son, Barron, last June — she took her time establishing her own profile, with only a stilletoed misstep or two — literally: She piqued the public’s interest by wearing high heels on a trip to an area decimated by a hurricane. But she also drew positive attention for speaking before her husband about a protest in Charlottesville, Va., that left one woman dead. Mrs. Trump’s staff plans to continue to work with ideas from places the first lady has visited, including a West Virginia clinic that treats infants born with opioid addiction and a Michigan school where students participate in a program to stress the importance of emotional intelligence and kindness. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, has been a particular help briefing Mrs. Trump on the opioid crisis, a White House official said.
In January, amid news that Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic actress known as Stormy Daniels, had accused the president’s attorney of paying her to stay silent about an affair days before the 2016 election, Mrs. Trump put the brakes on her public appearances. Her office dismissed her absence as a coincidence, while others close to the president said that Mrs. Trump had been surprised and angered by the news reports. In her brief time at the White House — Mrs. Trump moved to Washington with her son, Barron, last June — she took her time establishing her own profile, with only a stilletoed misstep or two, literally: She piqued the public’s interest by wearing high heels on a trip to an area decimated by a hurricane. But she also drew positive attention for speaking before her husband about a protest in Charlottesville, Va., that left one woman dead.
In recent months, Mrs. Trump has emerged more often without Mr. Trump by her side. She has twice been seen avoiding or swatting the president’s hand away during public appearances — mishaps she has privately dismissed as bad photography angles — and she is rolling out her platform even as Mr. Trump and his legal team have added new, confusing contours to the story surrounding Ms. Daniels. She has directed her 10-person East Wing staff to stay focused by telling them that the stories swirling about Ms. Daniels are “just noise.” In January, amid news that Stephanie Clifford, the pornographic actress known as Stormy Daniels, had accused the president’s lawyer of paying her to stay silent about an affair days before the 2016 election, Mrs. Trump put the brakes on her public appearances. Her office dismissed her absence as a coincidence, while others close to the president said that Mrs. Trump had been surprised and angered by the news reports.
The state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, brought a new level of attention to the East Wing, particularly after Mrs. Macron commented that Mrs. Trump was essentially trapped in the White House. In recent months, Mrs. Trump has emerged more often without Mr. Trump by her side. She has twice been seen avoiding or swatting the president’s hand away during public appearances — mishaps she has privately dismissed as bad photography angles — and she is rolling out her platform even as Mr. Trump and his legal team have added new, confusing contours to the story surrounding Ms. Clifford. She has directed her 10-person East Wing staff to stay focused by telling them that the stories swirling about Ms. Clifford are “just noise.”
“Melania can’t do anything, she can’t even open a window in the White House,” Mrs. Macron told the French newspaper Le Monde. “She can’t put her nose out. Me, every day, I’m out in Paris.” The state visit by President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte, brought a new level of attention to the East Wing, where staff members helped whittle the dinner guest list down to around 120 people and designed the event without outside help. (Mrs. Trump, who sketched out the “Be Best” logo, also put pen to paper to draw out ideas for the dinner, an East Wing official said.)
If Mrs. Trump remains something of an enigma to most Americans, there is at least some evidence that the public has warmed to the wife of a president whose popularity remains at historic lows. In a CNN poll conducted May 2 to 5, 57 percent of respondents said they held a favorable view of Mrs. Trump — up 10 percentage points from January — while 27 percent had a negative view.
That is less popular than her two predecessors during the second year of their husbands’ terms; Michelle Obama was viewed positively by 66 percent and negatively by 25 percent, according to a July 2010 Gallup poll, while Laura Bush was viewed positively by 67 percent and negatively by 8 percent, according to a May 2002 CNN/Time poll.
Yet the public has still glimpsed less of Mrs. Trump than it has of the women who held the position before her.
Mrs. Macron seemed to capture some of the challenges of her role when she commented that the American first lady was essentially trapped in the White House. “Melania can’t do anything, she can’t even open a window in the White House,” Mrs. Macron told the French newspaper Le Monde. “She can’t put her nose out. Me, every day, I’m out in Paris.”
One person close to Mrs. Trump said that, like other modern first ladies, she has chafed against some of the boundaries of living in the White House. But, that person said, she has begun to embrace the possibilities of her role, particularly because she has been touched by letters she has received.One person close to Mrs. Trump said that, like other modern first ladies, she has chafed against some of the boundaries of living in the White House. But, that person said, she has begun to embrace the possibilities of her role, particularly because she has been touched by letters she has received.
According to two others who know her, she has adjusted to the role primarily because her 12-year-old-son is happy in Washington. According to two others who know her, she has adjusted to the role primarily because her 12-year-old son is happy in Washington.
“She’s a devoted mother,” Hilary Ross, the wife of Wilbur Ross, Mr. Trump’s commerce secretary and a frequent dinner guest of the Trumps, said in an interview. “And if her son is happy, she is happy.”“She’s a devoted mother,” Hilary Ross, the wife of Wilbur Ross, Mr. Trump’s commerce secretary and a frequent dinner guest of the Trumps, said in an interview. “And if her son is happy, she is happy.”