Despite the controversies, Melania Trump is set to receive a new honor for her work for the children's welfare through her Be Best initiative. Palm Beach Atlantic University names the First Lady of the United States as the new Women of Distinction for her "significant contributions" to the community.
The annual luncheon, which awards people who make great efforts for the benefit of their community, will be held at The Breakers resort on Feb. 19. Its proceeds will be put in a scholarship fund for Palm Beach Atlantic University's female students.
"In her role as First Lady, Mrs. Trump focuses her time on the many issues affecting children," Palm Beach Atlantic University said in a statement, via Newsweek. "An unwavering characteristic of the First Lady is her aptitude for showing love and compassion in all that she does."
It went on to say that Melania Trump traveled across the country and other nations to highlight programs and people who dedicated their lives to help children overcome the modern-day issues. The university's spokesperson, on the other hand, added that tickets for the event were sold out quickly after it became available as the former model expressed her interest in attending.
Melania Trump launched the Be Best campaign in May 2018. It focuses on the three pillars of children's safety -- their wellbeing, social media use, and the opioid crisis. Under the social media is cyberbullying, and the First Lady often receives criticisms for her husband's action that she fails to control despite her advocacy.
According to USA Today, Donald Trump mocked the teen climate activist Greta Thunberg online, which could be considered cyberbullying. The President of the United States questioned the young activist's honor as Time magazine's Person of the Year. Hence, a lot of people questioned Melania Trump's anti-bullying campaign Be Best, which also trended online at the time.
Before Donald Trump mocked Greta Thunberg, Melania Trump slammed an impeachment inquiry witness, Stanford Law School Professor Pamela Karlan, for the comment he made about Barron Trump, the First couple's one and only son. The FLOTUS quickly reacted to the dragging of her son's name, saying children needed privacy and should be kept out of politics.
But considering Greta Thunberg is only a child and 16 years old, netizens questioned Melania Trump's silence. Some said that her initiative doesn't apply to all and only to select individuals, like Barron Trump. Prominent personalities also weighed in on the issue, like Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif, who said that they all agreed that children should be off-limits, so she should tell her husband to be best and enroll himself in anger management.
