First Lady Melania Trump's #BeBest campaign is, according to the White House, meant to "champion the many successful well-being programs that provide children with the tools and skills required for emotional, social, and physical health."
Despite those well-meaning words, the Trump administration's history of protecting young children isn't exactly stellar, and now the First Lady is being criticized for tone-deafness.
Over the weekend, Mrs. Trump wrote that #BeBest's work would continue with concentrations in "online safety, fighting opioid abuse & supporting the well-being of children everywhere!"
It was the bit about "children everywhere" that got people riled up. The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" family separation policy has been blamed for kicking off a humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and the White House's response has been criticized as both cruel and ineffectual.
People have long memories where this policy is concerned.
Last year, shortly after the "zero tolerance" policy went into effect, the First Lady made unsavory headlines when she wore a military jacket with the words "I really don't care, do u?" while she boarded a plane to visit a detention center for immigrant children in McAllen, Texas.
The First Lady's spokespeople soon pushed back against suggestions that the photo was doctored.
"It's a jacket," Stephanie Grisham, a spokesperson for Mrs. Trump, said at the time. "There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope this isn't what the media is going to choose to focus on."
Some recalled this in their replies as well.
President Donald Trump admitted that his administration's policy of separating families was a negotiating tool to get Democrats to cave to his demands, which include tougher border security as well as a wall erected along the nation's southern border.
Perhaps, if the First Lady wants to lessen a climate of bullying and boorish behavior, maybe she should start with her husband? Just a thought.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter