Ever since Melania Trump infamously plagiarized one of Michelle Obama’s speeches at the RNC convention over the summer, she’s unsurprisingly avoided solo speeches. But after some political experts said the soccer moms of Pennsylvania could decide this election, Melania went to Berwyn, Pa. and laid out what she would do as FLOTUS.
Like the list of first ladies before her, Melania Trump chose a specific issue she wants to address if she gets to the White House: cyberbullying. “It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when it happens on the playground, and it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet,” Melania said in the speech. “We have to find a better way to talk to each other. We must find better ways to honor and support the basic goodness of our children, especially in social media.”
While fighting cyberbullying is a noble cause, and definitely a pertinent issue in the digital age, Melania failed to address her husband’s own hateful speech—oftentimes on his favorite social media platform, Twitter. And it’s not like she was lacking material. I mean, The New York Times did an entire two-page spread on this very topic: “The 282 People, Places and Things Donald Trump has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List.”
CNN on Melania Trump’s anti-bullying speech: “Come on Melania, have you met your husband?” pic.twitter.com/CFhQMfHEHB
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) November 4, 2016
Melania also discussed her own immigration story, which in itself is an inspiring American dream-type tale. But it’s a little less inspirational when you remember her husband’s desire to close borders and build that now-infamous wall. Also, there’s speculation that she copied a line of that section—not from Michelle Obama this time, but from Trump’s ex-wife, Marla Maples. Melania said, “America meant if you could dream it, you could become it,” and Maples said, “I believed if you could dream it you could become it, so I didn’t see life as having any limitations,” in an interview with Maximum Ink magazine in 2011 Now, this one’s less clear—that’s not an uncommon saying, and it was just one line, so it could just be a coincidence this time. But who knows with the Trump camp.
Next, Melania made an attempt to defend Trump’s economic plan to revive America. “Every time my husband learned of a factory closing in Ohio or North Carolina or Pennsylvania, I could see him get very upset.” Wow—now that’s a glowing review. But it’s really not surprising that Melania struggles to find nice things to say about Trump. We can relate.
Even though Melania could be Trump’s way to the heart of women voters, her seeming disregard for his offenses against women, at least in public, overpowers many of her positive qualities. Plus, Michelle Obama is basically the GOAT of first ladies, and those are tough shoes to fill—so good luck, Melania!