Melania Trump’s bold claim: “I'm the most bullied person in the world”
Melania Trump has said she is fed up with being the target of what she sees as constant bullying and criticism since her husband, US President Donald Trump, took office.
In a no-holds-barred interview titled Being Melania – The First Lady airing on America’s ABC Network, Melania made the bold claim, stating, “I could say that I'm the most bullied person in the world.”
Mrs Trump then backtracked slightly, saying she was “one of them – if you really see what people are saying about me.”
She told Tom Llamas, Chief National Affairs Correspondent for ABC News, in the interview that the effect of the bullying she faces daily was one inspiration for her initiative Be Best, reported the Daily Mail.
In part, Be Best is designed to combat bullying, particularly on social media.
But Mrs Trump told Llamas that she was frustrated that the charities she had approached to be part of the initiative, in her view, had chosen politics over being involved.
“It's sad to see that organisations and foundations that I want to partner with chose not to because of the administration,” she said.
“I feel they are choosing the politics over helping others.”
The First Lady refused to name the charities that had decided not to take part in the Be Best initiative.
“I'm not going to talk about it, they know who they are,” she said.
“I'm not going to put them out in front of the world.”
Mrs Trump lays out her mission statement for the Be Best initiative on the official website: “It remains our generation’s moral imperative to take responsibility and help our children manage the many issues they are facing today, including encouraging positive social, emotional and physical habits...”
It aims to “focus on some of the major issues facing children today,” and teach children “the importance of social, emotional and physical health. Be Best will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, social media use and opioid abuse.”