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Be Best

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President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with students in the Oval Office at the announcement of the initiative

Be Best was a public-awareness campaign promoted by former First Lady Melania Trump, which focused on well-being for youth and advocating against cyberbullying.[1]

Background

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Five days before the 2016 election, Melania told a crowd of supporters in Pennsylvania: "Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers. It is never okay when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied, or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground. And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the Internet".[2] Regarding the contrast of her platform with her husband's use of social media during his campaign, Melania said shortly after the election that she had rebuked him "all the time", but that "he will do what he wants to do in the end".[3]

On March 13, 2018, Trump scheduled a March 20, 2018 meeting with policy executives from technology companies — including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Snap, and Twitter — to address online harassment and Internet safety, with a particular focus on how those issues affect children.[4] Trump's office avoided the use of the term "cyberbullying",[4] and she came under criticism for championing Internet civility while her husband's Internet behavior had been noted as uncivil.[4][5] Trump attended the roundtable event, focusing on how children are affected by modern technology. Trump said: "I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic", but "that will not stop me from doing what I know is right".[6]

Campaign

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Be Best official launch video and announcement (17 minutes)

Melania Trump made the initiative and came up with the name "Be Best". Trump said she was prepared for criticism.[7][8]

On May 7, 2018, Trump formally started the Be Best public awareness campaign, which focused on well-being for youth and advocated against cyberbullying and opioid abuse.[9][10] She made the announcement in the White House Rose Garden, a space more typically used for major political announcements from the president.[11] Instead of creating new programs like previous first ladies' projects, Be Best promoted existing initiatives and organizations that worked toward the cause. Public awareness of the initiative remained low, and it was often regarded solely as an anti-cyberbullying campaign.[12]

She formally introduced the campaign on May 7, 2018. Following her speech in the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring May 7 "Be Best" day.[13][14][15] Unlike policy initiatives by previous first ladies (such as Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign against childhood obesity, or Nancy Reagan's Just Say No to drugs campaign), Be Best is broad in scope. The initiative focuses on physical and emotional well-being, and also advocates against cyberbullying and opioid abuse.[16]

The initiative began with a very slow start, as Trump underwent kidney surgery one week after the campaign was launched. She made no public appearances for the next several weeks.[17] On July 24, 2018, she visited the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee and talked about children with neonatal withdrawal.[18] On August 6, 2018, she tweeted: "It's #Backtoschool for many youth this month. As you begin a new year, how will you be the best you? #BeBest".[19] She spoke at a cyberbullying summit outside Washington, D.C., on August 20, 2018.[20]

During the initiative's first year, she also promoted Be Best in-person at events in Oklahoma, Washington state, and Nevada. She also promoted Be Best abroad in trips to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt.[21]

In 2020, when scholars and historians were asked during the Siena College Research Institute's first ladies study to assess the signature initiatives of the then most-recent ten first ladies (those from Lady Bird Johnson onward), "Be Best" was ranked as the worst.[22]

Criticism

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"Be Best" logo

The slogan "Be Best" has faced criticism for having an apparent grammatical error, as it is missing a definite article, and should read as, "Be the Best."[23][24][25][26][11] The Guardian noted Mrs. Trump's native language, Slovenian, does not use definite articles, and speculated whether the name constituted one-upmanship after Michelle Obama's call to "Be Better".[27] Mrs. Trump's senior advisor, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, called the slogan "illiterate" and pushed for an alternative slogan, "Children First", which the First Lady rejected due to the similarities with her husband's "America First" branding.[28] She commented to her staff that "at least they won't say I plagiarized it".[10]

Trump faced accusations of plagiarization of a Michelle Obama speech when, as part of her "Be Best" campaign in 2018, she gave a speech that appeared to closely echo remarks by Michelle Obama in 2016 and also distributed a written pamphlet that was nearly identical to one published under the Obama administration in 2014.[29][30]

The Be Best campaign drew criticism over perceived hypocrisy for its goal of challenging cyberbullying as her husband Donald Trump was well known for attacking people online.[31] The comparison was noted upon by Donald Trump prior to his campaign's launch that the contrast could provoke criticism.[12] She acknowledged the discrepancy but insisted that she would continue because she felt it was a good cause.[31] On December 12, 2019, Melania Trump's 'Be Best' hashtag trended on Twitter after the President sent a critical tweet directed to then 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg.[32][33][34][35][36] Several media outlets noted that Melania Trump criticized legal expert Pamela Karlan the previous week after Karlan mentioned the Trumps' teenage son, Barron, during testimony as part of the then ongoing impeachment inquiry.[32] The first lady's office responded that spouses can communicate differently and that Barron was not "an activist who travels the globe giving speeches".[37]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Melania Trump | Biography & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. ^ Zorthian, Julia (November 3, 2016). "Read Melania Trump's Campaign Speech Addressing Cyberbullying". Time. New York City. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  3. ^ Flores, Reena (November 13, 2016). "Melania Trump rebukes her husband 'all the time' for Twitter use". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Romm, Tony (March 13, 2018). "Melania Trump will meet with tech giants including Facebook and Google to talk cyberbullying". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  5. ^ "Kimmel: Melania Trump emerges after 'Winter Stormy Daniels' to renew cyberbullying crusade". Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Bennett, Kate. "Melania Trump addresses critics head-on". CNN. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Rogers, Katie; Davis, Julie Hirschfeld; Haberman, Maggie (August 17, 2018). "Melania Trump, a Mysterious First Lady, Weathers a Chaotic White House". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  8. ^ Wise, Justin (August 17, 2018). "Trump tried to dissuade Melania from 'Be Best' anti-bullying campaign: report". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  9. ^ Caroli 2019, p. 345.
  10. ^ a b Jordan 2020, p. 247.
  11. ^ a b Bennett 2019, p. 216.
  12. ^ a b Bennett 2019, p. 158.
  13. ^ "Melania Trump unveils 'Be Best' campaign for children". BBC News. May 7, 2018. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  14. ^ Rocha, Veronica; Wagner, Meg (May 7, 2018). "Melania Trump speaks: Live updates". CNN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  15. ^ Pappas, Alex (May 7, 2018). "Melania Trump unveils 'Be Best' initiative to help kids". Fox News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  16. ^ McCammon, Sarah (May 7, 2018). "First Lady Melania Trump Unveils 'Be Best' Campaign, Focusing On Children". NPR. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  17. ^ McCammon, Sarah (June 7, 2018). "One Month Later, What's Become Of Melania Trump's 'Be Best' Campaign?". NPR. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  18. ^ Bennett, Kate (July 24, 2018). "Melania Trump pushes 'Be Best' initiative with trip to Nashville". CNN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  19. ^ Stewart, Chelsea (August 8, 2018). "Melania Trump's Tweet About "Be Best" Back-To-School Tips Totally Backfired". Elite Daily. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  20. ^ Phelps, Jordyn (August 20, 2018). "First lady Melania Trump speaks out against cyberbullying". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  21. ^ "Melania Trump marked one year of 'Be Best.' What is it, and what has it accomplished?". Archived from the original on 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  22. ^ "Eleanor Roosevelt America's Top First Lady for 6th Consecutive Time Abigail Adams Finishes a Close Second; Michelle Obama Moves to Third First Lady Initiatives – Lady Bird Johnson (Environmental Protection) Did Most to Raise Awareness and Address the Issue; Obama (Childhood Obesity), Betty Ford (Women's Rights), and Barbara Bush (Literacy) Made Major Contributions Jackie Kennedy - 4th but First on Being a White House Steward & Public Image" (PDF). scri.siena.edu. Siena Research Institute. December 9, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  23. ^ Schwedel, Heather (May 7, 2018). ""Be Best" Has to Be Bad on Purpose, Right?". Slate. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  24. ^ Kwong, Jessica (May 7, 2018). "What does 'Be Best' mean? Melania Trump unveils a new initiative aimed at helping children". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  25. ^ Waldman, Katy (May 8, 2018). "The Childlike Strangeness of Melania Trump's "Be Best" Campaign". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  26. ^ "Melania Trump's new initiative needs a new name". San Francisco Chronicle. May 8, 2018. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  27. ^ Hill, Tim (May 8, 2018). "'Be Best': does Melania Trump's oddly named initiative break the laws of grammar?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  28. ^ Fox, Emily Jane (February 7, 2019). ""I Am Disgusted": Behind The Scenes of Trump's Increasingly Scrutinized $107 Million Inauguration". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  29. ^ Michelle Ruiz (May 8, 2018). "Did Melania Trump Plagiarize the Obamas... Again?". Vogue. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  30. ^ Ashley Hoffman (May 7, 2018). "People Have a Lot of Feelings About Melania Trump's New Cyberbullying Initiative". Time. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  31. ^ a b Jordan 2020, pp. 247–248.
  32. ^ a b Gstalter, Morgan (2019-12-12). "Melania Trump's 'Be Best' hashtag trends after president goes after Greta Thunberg". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  33. ^ Virtudazo, Nica (2019-12-12). "Melania Trump Humiliation: FLOTUS Criticized After Donald Called Greta Thunberg's New Milestone 'So Ridiculous'". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  34. ^ Silva, Christianna. "#BeBest Who? Trump Just Bullied 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg On Twitter". MTV News. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  35. ^ Fink, Jenni. "People share Melania Trump's anti-bullying "Be Best" slogan after president mocks teenager Greta Thunberg". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  36. ^ "Chris Cuomo: GOP protected Barron Trump, why not Greta Thunberg?Video". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  37. ^ Jordan 2020, pp. 271–272.

References

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