This is ridiculous endeavor for the first lady. The dissonance is deafening. She should follow Mrs. Pence's lead and pick some area totally divorced from any interest to anyone. Maybe she could support floral arrangers, or get people excited about the dangers of brown hair dye.
8
It's not the cause she has embraced that's problematic, it's the hypocrisy! Remember how Michele Obama was vilified for encouraging children to eat healthy and exercise and how Sarah Palin promised to bring cookies to those poor deprived children? More farce from our White House.
8
Is there anything about this administration that isn’t a complete insult to our intelligence and sense of decency?
7
So ... what is Mrs. Trump actuallty DOING to end cyberbullying? Beyond a photo-op or two?
Let's see a real publicity campaign here, with memorable optics. And some real ideas to stop the bullies and empower the bullied.
Own it, Mrs. Trump, like you own that coat-draped-over-the-shoulders look.
4
This really seems like projecting under extreme stress to me.
5
Dear Melania,
Everyone understands that family loyalty can at times force someone to do the wrong thing. But no one forced you to choose bullying as an issue, and there is no way you can presume to speak about cyberbullying without talking about your husband.
Donald is, bluntly, the biggest cyberbully on the planet. And his actions are far worse than simply revealing himself as a nasty person: they make a large number of his followers feel legitimated in their hatred and racism. This has done real damage to the fabric of our society.
Find something else as your cause, or be willing to speak out when Donald acts inappropriately -- which is nearly daily.
8
Sorry, but this reads like a whole bunch of 'do as I say, and not as I do', with kids and their problems being used again. Why call it "tackling this issue..." when you can't even tackle the issue walking next to you, Mrs. Trump? So not cool. Hypocritical, actually.
5
This is the textbook definition of irony.
6
First Ladies have causes. Melania Trump is a First Lady, therefore she needs a cause. What is the cause du jour? Why, bullying, of course. Bingo — she’s got a cause.
I’m pretty sure this is all the thought that went behind this, and I’m pretty sure too she couldn’t care less.
6
This is just sad, plain sad!
3
Melania's pre-nup as written is thicker than the Federal Budget.
Her ambitions have trapped her into a corner that Trump's lawyers will surely keep her confined to. Doubtless they've told her to her face that they'll "track her down to the ends of the earth to punish her."
Ah, Love ...so complex, so ugly.
5
She is crying out for help for her and her kid. They live in the same house as Bully No. 1.
6
It's good to see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Melania is just as big a hypocrite as Donald. If in her statements at that meeting, had she acknowledged what her husband does on twitter and spoke against it, then I would say she's doing the right thing. Until then she's just as bad as him.
5
She is a victim of his bullying herself. Until she escapes from him and retains her independence she’s in no position to offer advice. She can then start talking about domestic violence as well.
4
Melania is the epitome of reality TV meaning a total fake. Her husband has certainly gotten great value for his purchase of her and her family. She is not "bleeding to death in front of our eyes" as one commenter wrote; she is killing truth with every word she speaks. I am relatively sure she didn't start out her life to do this but - like everything else he touches - she has been corrupted by her husband. The only difference is she knew it from the get-go.
3
She should stick to fashion. May be she would have some credibility on that front. She is likely a victim of verbal abuse from the world's most infamous cyberbully and should get a divorce or counseling before trying to help anyone else.
2
This is beyond hilarious. Her husband is the biggest online bully in the world.
5
The current FLOTUS is only slightly less cringeworthy than her husband. I would have more respect for her if she had simply stayed in her gilded cage in New York and continued to lead her vapid trophy wife life, rather than pretending she is doing anything about cyberbullying.
5
Between the ever-increasing infidelity of the pig she married and his surly online bullying, since she does not appear to be stupid, she's either temporarily delusional, hanging in there for the money train, planning on the book AND the movie (did not sign an NDA) or all of the above while wearing 24/7 invisible armor. At the very least, we assume separate bedrooms - UGH.
1
Melania Trump did a bit of bullying herself when she went on TV and quite enthusiastically birthered President Obama.
She is not the best person to be an anti-bullying advocate.
7
Melania - the tweets are coming from inside the house.
8
In a way, I feel sorry for Melania. On the other hand as Trump’s third wife she had to know what she was getting into. Trump is such a spoiled child, Melania will never be able to stop his constant bullying. However, I hope his constant tweets/bullying will be his ultimate demise. I hope ......
2
Does'nt hurt to make a few sound bites especially when it contradicts her husband, President Trump every time.Who knows better about bullying better than Melania!
1
Mrs. Trump #3:
If you would like some good advice on how to deal with a bully, you can get it fromt Gloria Allred's New York office at 305 Broadway... and I'm sure that for you she'll make a penthouse call.
@GeneGrossman
1
Lead by example please. Start in your own house!
3
I think it's fitting that this country finally has a president that truly represents the majority of Americans, especially those who considered themselves overlooked and marginalized by government. Strip away all the hypocritical lofty American pipe dream rhetoric about equality, morality and justice the dream weavers have been putting out since 1776 and what's left is a crass, lowlife, belligerent, shallow, unsophisticated, functionally illiterate, racist couch potato. If you voted for this guy you knew what you were getting. You wanted change right? How do like that change now?
6
Using the trump administration "standard", she and her parents are illegal immigrants and should be deported.
5
I am laughing so hard I am crying. Really? Criticizing cyber bullies while being married to the biggest one of all? When Melania divorces the Liar in Chief and actually organizes and raises money for anti-bullying education, let me know. These statements are about as disingenous as her comments on the campaign trail about wanting to support certain other educational efforts. My question is why did you have to wait to be First Lady to engage in this type of work given your wealth and leisure time?
3
You have to forgive Melania , she really doesn't know . But the Whitehouse told her to read this. She is just trying to get this whole thing over with.
1
This woman has zero credibility. I think she is the same woman who parroted Trump's birther lies about President Obama and excused the Billy Bush tapes as Trump just being "egged" on by Billy Bush. Come on Melania! Get a real cause! Maybe immigrant rights like the rights you were accorded coming from Slovenia.
4
Does no one in the White House have any sense of decency ? Does this woman not have one friend in Washington ? Her husband, who paid a porn star to keep quiet about his cheating on her just four months after the birth of their son, is the biggest cyber bully on Twitter. I'm sure the irony is lost on Sarah Huckabee Sanders but it's cruel to make her carry on with this.
1
Charity begins at home. Melania Trump should clean up her own home first or choose another charitable program to support.
1
Does anyone have the confidence to say the obvious, this lady is not the brightest bulb to have graced those white columns, and, my take, is a creature given to creature comforts gold decor lunches and more lunches with shopping bags at the feet. Plagiarized a national speech, married a selfish man who relates to her as a signed contract.
5
I have a suggestion how Melania Trump can end online bullying .... END HER HUSBANDS PRESIDENCY!
2
Melanie,
If you feel you need to defend your husband, just go back to shopping at Gucci’s, stay in New York, and lunch with your lady friends
Just stop faking it, we really don’t care about your “issues”
3
Melania: Bullying is a problem, but clean up your own house first.
3
Quite bluntly - she should just shut up.
Role model she is not.
She wants credence? This lady has to learn how to"walk it like you talk it". Until she does, this lady is worth nothing.
5
She may want to speak to the bully in chief she lives with before telling the rest of us how to act.
4
Why would he help? He's the biggest, most cowardly bully around. A disgrace to all Americans, especially American women!
3
Hey Melania,
When dealing with an overflowing bathtube, the first thing to do is to turn off the tap. Before that, all other efforts to mop up water are superficial and useless. In other words, first deal with your husband, the bully-in-chief, before trying to deal with the children.
3
Melania , everything starts from home !
First stop your husband from bullying, then move on the other bullies.
Donald trump is the biggest bully in America .
Take that as your priority as the First Lady .
4
Seriously??? The absolute worst pet project she could pick. It's just plain dumb - or is the whole bunch of them so tone deaf it's bizarre. Ivanka dresses up like a pseudo scientist, this ditzy dame goes after cyber bullying when the worst one sleeps next to her (or maybe not), and ding dong son spills the beans (bragging, of course) about their dealings with Russia. And Jared has disappeared--black ops??
3
Perhaps she can include a panel discussion about the effects of bullying with Lyin' Ted, Liddle Bob, Crooked Hillary and Sloppy Steve.
2
She must have an NDA pre-nup, or she knows what she sold her soul for, or she's dumb s a rock.
3
Its hard to imagine a more disingenuous appeal by Melania, given her husband's status as the greatest bully/thug the US presidency has ever known. Is she utterly clueless?
3
Really? Perhaps she should occasionally chat with her husband
If he’s not otherwise engaged with assorted hookers and pornography stars
Or on line bullying them
3
Gee, is she trying to shut her husband up?
3
Why, oh why doesn't she clean her own nest before she tries to clean ours? She is such a hypocrite. I want to respect her, but how can I?
2
I'd pity Melania trump, but...no.
2
Begin by cleaning your house.
2
Melania should stick to what she does best...swatting the President's hand away. She gets the greatest public approval when she intentionally distances herself from this vile man she married.
2
This article is better suited for The Onion.
3
“I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue, and I know that will continue. But it will not stop me from doing what I know is right.". People are not criticizing you for your commitment. People are enraged by the hypocrisy of claiming to do what you can to deal with cyber bullying while your husband is the global leader in spreading hate via social media. That, Mrs. Melania Trump, is what you are being criticized for; not calling out your vile husband.
3
Hey, Melania, psst, YOUR HUSBAND IS A BULLY!
3
Well I guess she could rationalize that she's focused on children. But children grow into adults, and she's an adult giving children advice, so until she addresses adult bullying publicly, it's all hypocrisy.
1
She married a cyber-bully & wants to change him? More likely he’ll move on to Mrs. Trump IV!
2
One can only wonder how much Mr. Trump has bullied Mrs. Trump. This could well be her motivation to deal with this issue.
2
Perhaps she can have some of her husband's bullying tweets enlarged on boards to better illustrate her points while she addresses this topic.
3
Melanie was fully in support of her husband's birther movement. She is willing to forgo ethics for power just like her husband.
1
I going to cut her some slack. Maybe because she lives with such a despicable bully, she know first hand how detrimental this type of behavior is. Who knows why she stays with Trump? Perhaps it’s for financial reasons or for some psychological reason, but whatever it is, she may have taken up this cause so other people, particularly children, won’t become bullies like her husband or have to suffer like she and Barron may be doing. Considering how Trump bullies world leaders, and people who have worked for him, and how much pleasure he gets from him, to assume that she could take him on and get him to chance his behavior is a bit absurd.
2
If the Trump's ever sit down together for dinner, I would suggest that Mrs. Trump promise Mr. Trump a little roll in the hay if he stops bullying on Twitter. She could also promise to hold his hand in public if he tells his Twitter followers to end bullying online.
1
Why not take her at her word?
When she takes questions, why not ask how she
feels about her husband's cyber bullying? What is her reaction when she reads some of the demeaning things he says and writes?
Give her a chance before sneering.
3
Shouldn't she be doing something useful like ripping off someone else's shoe design and having them mass produced in China. Oh, my bad, Ivanka has that covered.
3
Can you imagine Bonnie Elizabeth Parker holding a round-table discussion on crime with a group of bank executives?
Preposterous.
Bullying is an increasingly relevant topic. Melania Trump is married to "Public Enemy No.1" when it comes to bullying. It's a noble cause, but she has no street cred on the issue. NONE! Taking a token photo op once every three months does little to help the cause. Take a stand against Donald's bullying....and maybe we will start to listen.
Bonny will forever be linked to Clyde.
Melania will never be an effective advocate for the anti-bullying issue because she is forever linked to Donald.
1
While Trump is definitely not the most civil user of the internet and social media, there are certainly bigger and more legitimate online enemies out there. Trump is more like an annoyingly unfiltered younger sibling, who you always have to cut off with a hand over their mouth when they begin to kick off in a public setting. Real bullies, like the ones harassing, stalking, and abusing others online are who we should really be focused on. And if Melania uses this new campaign strictly to silence her irritating spouse, I will be very disappointed. This is a serious matter that people are dying from, and should not be taken lightly whatsoever. Especially not by these ignorant, media-driven crazies using our troubles to get back at one another. However, despite my disfavor of these two individuals, I have to give Melania some credit for stepping up to a task our past first ladies have had yet to address. Not to assume they never cared, but it is a very tricky subject to eradicate, and I do hope she can steer us on a safer online path...
2
Of course people are skeptical of Melania Trump choosing online bullying at her project. Her own husband does more daily to undermine norms of civility in a day than she can ever hope to undo in a term as First Lady. Only by personally, publicly, and repeatedly calling out Donald Trump’s bullying would she be performing a public service and be effective in her anti-bullying campaign.
1
Mrs. Trump is continually undermined by her husband with every comment she makes on bullying and harassment. I'm sure she means well but until she influences him to tone down his insulting rhetoric her words mean little.
If one assumes that Mr. Trump has influence over some children's behavior then she is further undermined.
Her greatest service would be to get him to stop using social media as a bully pulpit. He would seem less erratic and maybe a more positive message might get through. I doubt Trump would stop. He seems to need the attention and the outlet. In a sense it seems like therapy for his rage. Sadly,, we have to witness it.
1
Would be great if one of these “children” asked “my Mom/Dad bullies people -is that good? Should I be like them?”
Maybe then we would see if she really wants to own the issue instead of playing it.
1
For a person to be a credible advocate for something, we seem to believe the one who shows a kind of personal follow- through', walking the talk' on that issue, in the way they live.
For this woman to not stand up to a bully; a man who humiliates and embarrasses her, and then she advocate as a 'spokesperson' - well, as said below, she may simply be advocating for something she wishes she herself could do in person. But, well, good luck , FLOTUS, and keep your protective parent eyes open on the interactions at home and among the family.
1
Given the grotesque irony that her husband also holds the defacto title of Cyber Bully In Chief, Mrs. Trump's initiative seems more of a burden than benefit to the anti-cyberbully movement.
For all her professed concern, there is no evidence anything she says or thinks on the issue is reflected in her own family. How can anyone take anything she says seriously? Nevermind too that the most vulnerable victims of cyber bullying are kids without privilege or glamour, her voice just calls attention away from credible voices and concerns, and undermines the seriousness of cyber bullying.
Social position and media attention, whether earned or bestowed, come with far-reaching positive and negative consequences that ought to be more thoroughly considered. Perhaps it would be more constructive if FLOTUS could find another social issue that is not in stark contrast to her own family situation and work on that instead. Fighting cyber bullying deserves to be more than just a pet project.
1
She'll deserve this coverage when she actually DOES something to curb bullying. So far it's nothing but talk.
2
We're not skeptical of her. We simply think she should take her husband's smartphone away before she starts lecturing the rest of the country on digital etiquette.
2
Melania cannot have any credibility to work on these important issues given that her own household caters to the terrible behavior, including clear bullying, of D trump. And she's apparently fine with it.
2
OK so she may want to stay where she is because she likes or liked the lifestyle and wonders about access to her son if she left. She is the company she keeps - and he is the company of grifters and unqualified or disinterested appointees he selects. Actions speak louder than words.
2
If we view Melania and Donald as a pair, then (I think) the message is, "Do as we say, not as we do."
If we view them as independent, the message becomes, "Be civil while you are growing up, but once you're an adult, anything goes."
I don't find either of these appealing or as appropriate messages for children or young adults.
Or anyone else.
1
2 empty shells. not the least bit credible that either one wishes to diminish aggression.
4
I feel like she is trolling us or her husband or both. The issue of online bullying and bullying in general is important but there is no way she is going to be successful in her effort married to the bully in chief. So why pick this topic knowing that Trump tweets hate speech and insults people (and their wives)? It seems very strange.
1
I'm sure in her own way she means well and may have a good heart. That said, she also has to realize the irony. She also has to know and feel what all the gold plating on earth can't hide or cover up. I know she's been touched, if not inspired by the words of Michelle Obama but she also has to understand the implications of that being "dirt under the feet" of the man she married and the fact that the whole world knows that and sees it. Melania has important issues of her own she has to confront that can't just be "bypassed" before she can speak for our children.
1
I am not a Trump supporter. But I am so taken aback by the negative, hateful and snarky remarks about Melania Trump in the comments submitted thus far. From jump street, when the Trump presidency began, the vast majority of comments written about Mrs. Trump were that she was silent, did not speak out or about anything, that she was a shell of a First Lady. Now that she IS taking a stand and trying to address and attack the hurtful and sometimes deadly cyber bullying, especially rampant with school age children, the vast majority of comments addressing this article are still equally hateful, hurtful and just plain mean.
I understand and appreciate the utter contempt many folks have towards President Trump. But laying the ground work for that apple and tree analogy between her and Trump is wrong. Even when she's right, she is viewed as wrong by so many.
I give her credit for at least speaking out and actually taking a stand on something important, and not just on how to redecorate the Oval Office or selecting a different pattern for the dinner china.
The cyber bullying issue she is addressing doesn't apply to just children, but apparently to adults across the board as well (including her husband).
1
I’m starting to question if FLOTUS really understands what a Bully is. The fact that she doesn’t seem to acknowledge the bullying so close to her is troublesome and makes her less than credible. Also, why would children be writing to her about bullying? I don’t doubt her willingness to help, but I don’t think this is the issue for her.
1
Hypocrisy at its' best,or in this case at its' worst!
10
After considering all of the comments here when added to what I've already heard and read, my comment is: scripted and disingenuous!
8
The President bullies the moronic politicians and members of the biased media who attack him. These fools deserve to be bullied as often as the President deems appropriate.
He is the President of the United States of America. Criticism comes with the job. As President he should be mature enough to accept the criticism or dismiss it in an adult manner not like a six year old. ALL presidents take criticism, some more than others. Donald trump is no different than any of our other presidents. He needs to grow up!
3
I do hope she's able to apply what she's trying to do to her marriage. I say this with all sincerity because I get the feeling that Trump, more than their son, is the handful.
11
The irony of Melania when she fails to comment, let alone reprimand, the cyber bully in chief.
36
I don’t know if I like Melania Trump or not, but I absolutely encourage her to have her own opinions and to express them in any way she wishes, and when those are positive opinions that she backs up with positive actions, I want to support that completely.
I think that given the environment in which she exists, and the very unique position she holds among First Ladies, where there are very clear barriers and limitations for her to exist as an independent person, and very clear consequences that have been made clear both directly and by proxy by her husband should she decide to leave, I think I want to support the First Lady in continuing to go out and do works, and work with charities, and work independently.
I’m happy to do that, despite the fact that I do not, in any way, support Donald Trump.
14
You're from Canada, so perhaps you do not know that Melania Trump already ruined her credibility by parroting Trump's birther lies about Pres. Obama. You're much too charitable, but then again you are not saddled with the Trumps ruining your nation.
2
Trump merely has a new are on the meaning of bully pulpit...
5
Oh the irony! Maybe it's Melania's way of telling the Donald what she really thinks of him. He is the prime example of bullying online. Why can't Twitter close his account for all his rule infractions?
45
This First Lady is the product of a team of designers who orchestrate her image. From the glitzy over done White House decorations to the hypocritical cyber bullying campaign there is nothing genuine about Melania. This is a woman who had maximum body exposure in numerous photos but now appears in frumpy fashions. It is not possible that she makes a move that isn’t scripted. Another rotten branch on the Trump family tree.
91
Donald Trump hasn't shot anyone on 5th Avenue yet, but he and Melania have stabbed irony through the heart and she is bleeding to death slowly before our eyes.
58
I sincerely hope that the humour of Melania Trump taking on cyber-bullying when her husband is the biggest bully around isn't lost on anyone.
57
They are world class trollers of the American people, those two. Maybe it's the thing that binds them.
2
She is married to an unrepentant and vicious BULLY. An anti-intellectual and corrupt boor who is enriching himself and his friends through the office of the President.
At the same time he continues attacking citizens who oppose, challenge or question him.
I know very little about this "multi-lingustic" first lady. But, she married the bully in chief, and I am sure she knows it.
It is perplexing that she is discussing bullying.
Her platform should be, if you ask me, a case for multilingual children.
At least research shows those who speak more than one language have personal benefits and growth, as opposed to those who speak one language only.
47
There is video proof that she cannot converse in French or Italian as stated.
2
Speaking multiple languages fluently has very little to do with any inherent intellect and everything to do with the languages you are exposed to in your pre-adolescent years.
1
Is this the same woman who had her arm around her husband's back as they boarded Air Force 1 this past weekend? The very same weekend her husband was being outed by 2 women working in the porn industry who had affairs with him within 4 mos of her giving birth to Barron?
After yrs of bullying tactics in NY papers, lying on NY shows & more recently, the past 2-3 yrs, insulting & bullying everyone & everything while campaigning for the Presidency & later, as President, Flotus has zero credibility.
She was more credible as the indifferent, rather cold, public persona we've been seeing for the past yr than she is now looking more affectionate as he is being confronted by his porn women. Melania's game is well & truly up - & I wish her no more harm than she will have which is yet to come when Trump gets his due from the majority of Americans seeking justice.
49
Melania, the classic co dependent and enabler.
What is next, telling people they should not be bigots, rabble rousers, admitted sexual predators, pathological liars, philanderers, ego maniac demagogues like her husband?
82
Melania can't get her husband to stop. She probably hasn't spoken to him in months.
18
It must be tough trying to exert leadership in curbing cyber bullying among our youth while married to the nation's Cyberbully-in-Chief who happens at the same time to be the President.
22
Mrs. Trump, if you think you are helping children you are fooling yourself. Your husband has sold their futures to the highest bidders. You know the Cabinet is an entirely destructive force. Pretending you care about children in the face of that is really grotesque.
74
So... Donald and Melania appear to be on separate and contradictory tracks. What else is new?
13
We all know the single most important thing she could do. But, sadly, not gonna happen! This is just one more chapter in this bizarro, mind bending, dark comic book we are living.
20
When your married to the biggest bully on the plant, picking bullying as your issue is certainly a very passive aggressive action against your husband.
31
Quote Melania: "I am here with one goal: helping children and our next generation.”
You cannot pursue such a noble goal while ignoring the fact that you are married to one of the world's supreme antagonists of our next generation.
74
If we’re to take the First Lady’s project seriously, the President must stop picking fights with people who are beyond reproach, such as the Khan family. He must also end his bizarre obsession with teasing retired candidate and private citizen Hillary Clinton.
27
Something he will never do.
Do what she MUST to keep her on the "modeling RUNWAY" the White House provides - for her it is one BIG FASHION SHOW with her new and expensive garments (hopefully, not at taxpayer expense!).
21
Not a big fan of Melania, but what is making the real story and undermining her efforts at anything she sincerely does is her husband, Mr. Trump. It is just shameful that this man engages in the most vile and obscene behavior against women, but that he cares nothing about his own family, putting his own selfish desires and deviant pleasures first. It is a shame that this woman has to be seen first as the wife of a pervert and adulteress, instead of as the First Lady trying to do something positive. This man who has even said that he would date his own daughter if he could, demonstrates a total and complete disregard for values, morals, and everything we would find decent in our society. If his behavior were a crime, he would doing 100 years or more in prison. Such is the disgusting nature of this abhorrent individual. I hope that Melania has a "plan" somewhere to deal with this pathetic excuse of a husband. He is nothing but a piranha.
10
Of course she's aware of the irony, and of course she knows she'll be criticized, deservedly so. While I can't help but applaud her wish to reduce cyber bullying of kids, there is the obvious: Melania is married to the #1 bully in cyberspace, Donald J. Trump.
10
"...it will not stop me from doing what I know is right."
What she knows is right? Oh, by all means, let's hear from the woman who knows what is right. If this circus wasn't so horrifying, comments like that would be hysterical.
44
How is she any different than the women in the "Hot Foreign Babes Want To Meet You!" ads, except that she scored much bigger than most of them? She traded her presence on Trump's arm for wealth and a lavish lifestyle. IDK why so many people assume she hates her life; IMO it's exactly what she signed up for (except for the public scrutiny nowadays). Like a good little gold-digger, her job is to keep the sugar daddy happy. In return she gets a lifestyle she could only have dreamed about. For some women, that's enough.
2
Melania married the quintessential bully and publicly defended his bullying. Trump routinely bullies the FBI, the Department of Justice and political opponents. Trump demeans and cheapens everything he touches. Are you listening, Melania?
30
The First Lady ought to start with her own Twitter followers. In 2016 when they barraged the GQ journalist Julie Iofee with anti Semitic invective it was dismissed by the Trumps as getting what she deserved.
26
Yes, read Jonathan Weisman's new book. Melania said the same of anti-Semitism directed at him.
1
Irony so thick you you could cut it with a knife.
37
Mrs Trump has, on the whole, done well for herself. But that doesn't mean she isn't seething with resentment. All that accumulated bitterness is looking for an outlet. Her capaign against cyber bullying is likely a well chosen outlet for the indignation and humiliation she must feel.
9
It's too late. She should have done some due diligence. Yes, it was tempting to gain citizenship and what appeared to be a life of opulence. But everything turned hollow when she realized he didn't love her or treat her kindly. She can maintain her citizenship and wealth when she divorces him, and gain back her self-respect, take care of her son, and meet nice people who will help her overcome her humiliation at the tiny hands of Trump.
17
"Mrs. Trump," someone should legitimately ask, "What advice would you give to women whose husbands are unfaithful?"
First, as First Lady with a taxpayer-funded staff, it is legitimate to ask questions of her.
Second, many women, for some inexplicable reason, look up to her.
Third, she spoke publicly in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape and made what in hindsight were misrepresentations regarding her husband.
Finally, it would be very revealing and informative to hear her response to the question.
14
Well, she's probably well versed in how to deal with a bully. I wonder how he treats his son Barron.
8
I believe that Mrs. Trump, however good her deeds are, do not have much credibility for the obvious reason that she is married to an infamous bully. Even though, she is the best person who could do something about that, she does not appear to have much of an influence on her husband. That brings doubts in her qualifications and the relevancy of her endeavor.
8
Seriously. Choosing that topic to champion, from among hundreds of worthwhile causes she could have attached her self to, shows a level of tone-deafness that even her husband would be humbled by. It's the equivalent of Alex Jones' ex-wife speaking out against purveyors of conspiracy theories or advocating the virtues of comporting yourself in a composed manner. And nobody forced her to come to her husband's defense, essentially excusing his bullying in the face of being challenged, when he went after the CNBC morning hosts. It's not just her husband who sets a bad example.
15
Right. If Mrs. Trump is serious about her campaign, first she takes away her husband’s phone. Second, she comes out and strongly condemns the right wing media (yes, especially her hubby’s favorite Fox!) for their unconscionable attacks and smears on the students in Parkland. After all, they are children! Failure to do either of these things means she is posing, just as she did years ago on Trump’s plane. She’s just trying to sell a different image this time.
16
Perfectly in keeping with the republican norm of hiring people to subvert the mission of their department.
12
What has she actually DONE towards this goal of hers?? NOTHING, it seems. Has anyone seen evidence of any efforts whatsoever? Honestly....I've seen/heard of nothing.
23
If she *really* wants to put a crimp in cyber bullying, perhaps the best thing she could do is to leave the bullying, lying, adulterous person whose (third) marriage she has shared for over a decade. Oh wait, she's probably locked in with some sort of “pre-nuptial” agreement/financial prison.
Until she does that, I will view her “campaign” as being as phony as her alleged Slovenian educational credentials.
She should realize that it’s only a matter of time before Donald turns his contempt on her son. . . .
18
Last I noticed, she's married to the world's most professed Cyber Bully whose juvenile antics pose a serious National Security risk - Why are we pretending any of her hollow charade matters? What an oddly ironic choice of a cause
11
I have to disagree with a lot of the posters. Melinia should be the perfect pick on how to deal with a bully. She has had all the years of being married to marmalade to learn.
3
Ok do we give FLOTUS the benefit of the doubt and agree that she is an independent woman who can and should pick an issue that she is passionate about and support her efforts? For the children who may benefit from her initiative I say Ok I will go along.
It's clear that communication between Mr. and Mrs. Trump is compromised by either avoidance of certain issues (cyber bullying) or nonexistent of certain issues.
Since FLOTUS has done nothing to date, I'll welcome her out of the private quarters and see what she does.
All the while keeping in mind the bully she is married to and enables.
11
So far she's shown no sign of being "passionate" about this cause. I'm sure she'd be speaking out if Barron were cyberbullied, but she's given no sign of actually caring when it happens to other kids. Words are cheap -- and even so, she's mostly silent. It's noteworthy that she's said nothing about the vile attacks on the Parkland students.
3
She married Trump, and more than that she repeated his racist slander against a previous president of the US. You don't get to lecture anyone about bullying, when you claim someone is a foreigner for having the wrong skin color and wrong policies.
4
I give her credit for trying, but her message is going to get lost in all the self promoter-in-chief's persistent, constant noise. At least she's publicly acknowledged the irony in her message.
I'm going to break from the common belief (including my wife's) that she should be criticized for her efforts. Like everyone else around him she likely has little to no influence over Mr. Trump's childish, arrested behavior. But she's on a fool's errand.
17
And the *evidence* that she is “trying” is. . . ?
1
Jackie O she's not.
23
Lady, get thine own house in order first.
88
I actually googled "hypocrisy" and "hypocrite" and these terms fit Mrs. Trump quite well! If she can't fight online and offline bullying in her own home and thinks that asking others to be kind and compassionate toward others, how can she lecture others? This is just another "joke" on us from the Trump Administration of which she is an intimate part! Forget it, Melania!
58
The hypocrisy of her statements is shameful and the criticism is warranted. At the base level, does she not understand that the "next generation" includes her child and grandchildren and they are vulnerable to the cyberbullying consequences created by her husband, his father and their grandfather? Those ugly, nasty, bullying DJT tweets will follow them forever. Melania, your legacy will be that you willingly and knowingly enabled cyberbullying, and did nothing to stop it.
65
This is a joke, right?
How can she take a stand against bullying when she stands with the Bully in Chief?
51
I understand the desire for humor here about the bizarre contrast between what she is trying to do and what her life is like but maybe this is a cry for help. Blink twice Melania and we will have someone get you and your child away from the Bully in Chief.
16
You don't think she can leave her monster husband without the help of the public. Apparently there's a swarm of attorneys associated with the Trumps. Probably the pre-nup is what is keeping her in what has to be a truly horrid marriage.
5
This is completely emblematic of the hypocrisy Trump represents.
Bullying is what Trump does. Its how he manipulates, deceives, and intimidates his base, the media, America, and the world.
For Melania Trump to represent this anti-bullying cause is just over the top ridiculous...it in fact exemplifies how pathetic America is becoming.
29
what a joke, start with your husband first as he uses his tweets as his bully pulpit. I am sure she will not, so this is all a PR effort
13
I feel kinder already -
5
A weak paper thin personality. Clueless about the irony of her chosen cause. Complicit in her support of her husband. What a wasted opportunity as First Lady to make a difference for others. Truly sad.
52
The irony appears to escape the current occupant of the title “FLOTUS”.
17
Such a complete joke, it's pathetic.
Next thing you know, she'll be peddling
the virtues of honesty and humility.
24
Or chastity and modesty.
9
She is as much his stooge as Devin Nunes. This is a sad joke manufactured by Tump's PR machine. Laura and Michelle you are sorely missed
Unless Ms Trump gets her own husband to cut out the bullying Tweets, his bad behavior completely obliterates what she is trying to do and makes her seems like a huuuge hypocrite.
12
Charity begins at home. Melanie, you live with a man whose daily sustainenance is bullying and put downs. Try taming that beast first before you preach.
18
You could almost take the headline as a joke. She claims to take on bullying, while next to her the Tweeter in Chief is punching away on his cell. Surely, a New Yorker cartoonist will take this on.
20
Please enough of this silliness. Melanie cleanup your own house and discipline your husband!
11
What a pathetic joke! She’s married to the bully-in-chief! She has no moral standing as a result to have any credibility. She got her parents onto the road to citizenship. By her husband’s bigoted immigration dictates they’d have NO chance if they weren’t exploiting what trump calls “chain migration”! In their world rules were meant for others!
21
Dear First Lady Melania, you have chosen a noble cause, but please start with your husband's bullying first.
9
Is this a joke? Start with your husband
10
A Trump tackling bullying? Please.
You're embarrassing yourself, Melania. Go back to shopping at Barney's.
31
Apparently she does not understand an old saying from Mom's everywhere. "If Donnie jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?"
24
The absurdity here is unreal.
Trump is the poster child for cyber bullying.
Stay focused on November 6, everyone.
Mobilize. Vote.
Cast out Trump's Republican enablers.
Our democracy is at stake.
83
Mrs Trump needs a new husband and a new cause. As long as she accepts his bullying meaness she will be not taken seriously by many people. For the good of the country Trumps facebook ,twitter format should be shut down until the end of his one term I hope and pray only one.
25
Maybe Mrs. Trump has a tremendous sense of irony.
21
It's laudable Mrs. Trump wants to tackle such a serious issue. But like everyone else in the White House, success will be a challenge especially given that she shares a household with the worst bully ever.
Melania: if your focus is really about the children, then start with your husband. Every parent knows you can't just talk the talk, you have to model the behavior you want in your children. They see through our hypocrisy faster and clearer than adults.
15
I believe she is sincere. I also agree she has a serious credibility issue when she's married to a horrible bully.
That said, I don't think she likes her husband very much and maybe this is her way of attempting to push back against him and people like him. I do wish she'd divorce him, but he's likely threatened to ensure she'll never see Barron again if she does so. Frankly, I hope she's working with Mueller behind-the-scenes. I can't imagine she, like the rest of us, wouldn't like to have her husband far away in prison somewhere.
11
I find Mrs. Trump to be fatuous and dishonest. She wants to tackle "cyber bullying" This is rich considering she is a bully herself. She happily parroted the birther lies and joined her husbands campaign to discredit and de-legitimize President Obama. During the campaign she happily defended Trump's conduct and dismissed his words as "boy talk" She defended the immigration polices of her husband while there are questions about her own status. Her educational credentials were fabricated and she plagiarized the beautiful and brilliant Michelle Obama. Sorry, this under achiever is not worthy of any respect. She is a willing conspirator and a symbol of just how far the United States has fallen.
152
And . . . on top of all that . . . she just might also be an illegal immigrant to boot. As far as I know, her immigrant status papers and information have never been disclosed to the public.
3
Oh please. She has MORE than enabled 45 in his racism and misogyny. She fully adopted and articulated the birther position prior to and during the campaign, and she barely expressed her “discomfort” with her husband’s explicit acknowledgement of sexual assault. And now we’re supposed to believe she cares about “kindness?” She is as much of a grifter as the rest of that klan, and the media needs to expose her, not venerate her.
102
All I can do is offer Melania some advice. Be sure to have either a glass or net barrier between you and the audience when you do a speech on combating cyberbullying. Rotten tomatoes create terrible stains on designer clothing and shoes hurt.
46
Mrs. Trump is in a difficult position - trying to advocate for an issue when her husband is a significant generator of cyber bullying. For credibility Mrs. trump needs to acknowledge her husband's behavior in the context of the issue of cyber bullying. Even if she were to refer to "politicians" there would be some credibility to her words.
It's a shame that Mrs. Trump's credibility is impacted by her husband's actions and she could do more to build her credibility but it would take courage. Her husband doesn't take criticism lightly or without revenge.
6
Melania said, when she was first called on the inconsistency of her project with her husband's behavior, that she sees no contradiction because her husband bullies adults and they can handle it. This is just another show project because the First Lady has to show she has a public service cause.
24
I applaud her efforts. However on this issue there is no way to separate her from her husband and therefore she has no credibility. That is unless she were to call him out publicly for his use of on line media for bullying and disclaim and denounce his practices every time she spoke or wrote of the subject. And not in a "be nice to each other, not like my husband, but he's my bully, haha." sort of way. But I can see doing so would raise other questions...
I'd suggest something else for her to be involved in as First Lady. Like not wearing fur or not hunting game for trophies. Oh wait, no, that won't work. Or how about women's rights or the treatment of fashion models or beauty contestants? Um, no. OK, how about hungry children or LGBT rights? That could be a problem too. Maybe she could start a nascent effort to improve the lives of children of privilege and wealth by taking them to Trump properties and resorts.
24
It is clear to me that her son Barron, who is described as "very good with computers", has been bullied. Melania always refers to CHILDREN in her speeches. She should emphasize that aspect more by insisting that adults can and should regulate their internet interactions, but children are more vulnerable and need special considerations.
5
She should start with her husband. In the absence of that, nothing she will do will negate what her husband does on a daily basis. It is like trying to bail out the Titanic.
17
It's laudable that the First Lady wants to acknowledge the harmful reality of bullying that is the scourge of school children all across social media and America. Her efforts to lead a charge against antisocial behavior will not find approval or support from the president but she should forge ahead without his encouragement. The First Lady is now, at last, following in the footsteps of her predecessor as a champion of children and the development of their self esteem.
5
I applaud the First Lady for taking a stand on this issue. Not sure if her heart is in the right place or if it's her subtle attempt at addressing the President's own bullying behavior. I'm just glad to read that she is trying to do something positive and helpful that could benefit children.
5
Leaving aside the obviously surreal aspect of an infamous bully's wife taking on bullying (in particular, cyberbullying), this is good.
Things that spotlight the yawning, chasmic distance between what most of us consider praiseworthy and Donald J. Trump's conduct are good. They make his inadequacy all the more striking.
This is one more such thing.
9
I can't believe I am actually writing this because I am so beyond disgusted and sad about our current govt...but good for her! This can't be easy for her, she admits people see the impossibility of this topic for her, but she decided it is what she believes in, so she is going with her heart. I actually give her credit. I just wish she had a better speech writer who could really help her form her issues, and help her get away from the boiler plates. Okay now that would be too much to ask, but still.
6
A person simply can not take on an issue while simultaneously enabling the issue. It's a shame because it is important and young people are particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying.
68
Uh, no it's not. The only people who are obsessed with this issue are over 40 at least. Most of them politicians trying to use it as an excuse to limit speech. Young people are used to the abrasiveness of modern online dialogue.
1
Suicide is the third largest cause of death for young people. It isn't because people are being too nice.
1
How sad that you consider the "abrasiveness of modern online dialogue" to be even remotely acceptable. An no, not all young people share your view.
“I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue, and I know that will continue. But it will not stop me from doing what I know is right. I am here with one goal: helping children and our next generation.”...says Melania.
How about helping the child standing next to you, Melania.....Daycare Donnie, the most childish so-called 'President' in US history ?
How about a divorce action against the world's most famous coward and cyberbully, your wretched, destructive excuse of a husband ?
That might send a message to the world that bullies, liars, cowards and frauds like Donald Trump are unacceptable to civilized society.
Be a real heroine, Melania, not a moneyed fraud like little Donald.
135
Maybe Melania can help our national security agencies stop Putin from cyber bullying (hacking) of our electoral systems and our nation's power grids. Her husband sure isn't doing anything.
2
The bully needs sycophants. Those who enable the bully are as bad as the bully. Trump's family and his hangers on enable Trump. Ergo, Mrs Trump is part of the problem.
126
Psychologists, dating back to Freud, have a term for Melania Trump's behavior. It's called "displacement" where her anger over her husband's bullying is displaced onto others using social media. We'd all be much better off, including Mrs. Trump, if she could put aside her defense mechanism and confront her husband directly.
143
Exactly and in her general relationship with her other husbands' crimes, neurosis and character disorders she is an enabler and co dependent.
2
Unless and until she confronts cyberbullying Donald, Trump third wife Melania is no First Lady. No one voted for her.
83
I love it: the Third Lady.
1
Everyone assumes she married for money.
And yet she obviously is a thousand times more moral than he is.
8
If it were not for all Trump's stolen and borrowed money, she wouldn't be there in the first place.
18
She lied about having a college degree, plagiarized her convention speech from Michelle Obama, lied about her visa status, turned her back on her homeland once she was rich, met Donald when he was with another woman, what has she ever done that suggests she gives a hoot about morals?
37
Donald Trump is repellent. Does anyone honestly believe he would receive the time of day from any woman if he did not have money? Persons of character and morality do not lie about the birthplace of the siting president, do not plagiarize, nor misrepresent their educational credentials. Melania knew exactly what she was getting. I will cut her some slack in only one respect. She probably didn't believe Trump would start up within a few months of their marriage.
9
By all accounts Melania Trump did not want her husband to run for President. Therefore, I am willing to cut her a break.
7
Where does one even begin with this? If she can't convince her husband to stop cyberbullying, and she supports her husband in his near constant efforts at cyberbullying, then maybe she should simply begin by examining that little dynamic before she marches out and lectures the world regarding its behavior.
122