Melania Trump met with tech giants today to talk about ending cyberbullying.

The White House/Flickr (Public Domain)

Melania Trump hosted a summit on cyberbullying—and the irony wrote itself

'I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic.'

Photo of Ana Valens 

Ana Valens

IRL

Posted on Mar 20, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 9:08 pm CDT

President Donald Trump is known for attacking everyone from the leader of North Korea to Alec Baldwin to former members of the Justice Department via Twitter. So many were scratching their heads when first lady Melania Trump announced she would be hosting a public event on combating cyberbullying.

The conversation was held at the White House on Tuesday and featured executives from Amazon, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Snapchat, and the Internet Association. The first lady and her guests talked about technology’s impact on teens and young kids, particularly when it comes to social media.

The press was excused before the actual discussion, according to CNN, but in her opening remarks, the first lady addressed the critics of her platform.

“I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic,” Trump said. “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.”
She went on to say she has heard from kids about their negative experiences with social media and would be counting on the summit’s guests to share their research and solutions to cyberbullying.
“In my role as first lady, I receive many letters from children who have been bullied or feel threatened on social media,” she said. “I know that each of your companies and groups have been working on these issues for many years and I look forward to hearing what you have learned, what has been accomplished, and what progress still needs to be made.”

Cyberbullying has been a major priority for the first lady; in 2016, she stressed that online harassment reflects an American culture that “has gotten too mean and too rough,” especially for children.

But while Melania may legitimately care about online abuse, many users believe she’s complicit in her husband’s cyberbullying. Many wondered how Melania can fix the internet’s cyberbullying problems when she’s unable to, or disinterested in, convincing her husband to stop participating.

https://twitter.com/ResistanceZone/status/976078728798359553

https://twitter.com/drewharwell/status/973675577671585794

https://twitter.com/John_M15/status/976067509123207168

 

The first lady’s activism may be appreciated by some, but not much will change until the commander-in-chief sets an example and puts down his phone.

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*First Published: Mar 20, 2018, 10:35 pm CDT

Ana Valens

Ana Valens is a reporter specializing in online queer communities, marginalized identities, and adult content creation. She is a former Daily Dot staff writer. Her work has appeared at Vice, Vox, Truthout, Bitch Media, Kill Screen, Rolling Stone, and the Toast. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and spends her free time developing queer adult games.

Ana Valens