Melania Trump on violence, calling for unity and healing
Like all of you, I have reflected on the past year and how the invisible enemy, Covid-19, swept across our beautiful country. All Nations have experienced the loss of loved ones, economic pain, and the negative impacts of isolation.
As your First Lady, it has been inspiring to witness firsthand what the people of our great Nation will do for one another, especially when we are at our most vulnerable.
With nearly every experience I have had, I found myself carrying many individual’s stories home with me in my heart.
Most recently, my heart goes out to: Air Force Veteran, Ashli Babbitt, Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, Roseanne Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. I pray for their families comfort and strength during this difficult time.
I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week. I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me – from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.
Our Nation must heal in a civil manner. Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation’s Capitol. Violence is never acceptable.
As an American, I am proud of our freedom to express our viewpoints without persecution. It is one of the paramount ideals which America is fundamentally built on. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect that right. With that in mind, I would like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause, and look at things from all perspectives.
I implore people to stop the violence, never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin or use differing political ideologies as a basis for aggression and viciousness. We must listen to one another, focus on what unites us, and rise above what divides us.
It is inspiring to see that so many have found a passion and enthusiasm in participating in an election, but we must not allow that passion to turn to violence. Our path forward is to come together, find our commonalities, and be the kind and strong people that I know we are.
Our country’s strength and character have revealed themselves in the communities that have been impacted by natural disasters and throughout this terrible pandemic that has affected all of us. The common thread in all of these challenging situations is American’s unwavering resolve to help one another. Your compassion has shown the true spirit of our country.
As I said over the summer, it is these defining moments that we will look back and tell our grandchildren that through empathy, strength, and determination, we were able to restore the promise of our future. Each of you are the backbone of this country. You are the people who continue to make the United States of America what it is, and who have the incredible responsibility of preparing our future generations to leave everything better than they found it.
It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your First Lady. I want to thank the millions of Americans who supported my husband and me over the past 4 years and shown the incredible impact of the American spirit. I am grateful to you all for letting me serve you on platforms which are dear to me.
Most importantly, I ask for healing, grace, understanding, and peace for our great Nation.
Every day let us remember that we are one Nation under God. God bless you all and God bless the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Melania Trump
First Lady of the United States Melania Trump is the wife of President Donald J. Trump and the mother of Barron Trump. She is the second First Lady born outside of the United States, and she is the only First Lady to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. And like the First Ladies before her, Melania Trump will make her mark on history.
Melania Trump was born on April 26, 1970 in Slovenia. At age 16, she began what would soon become a highly successful modeling career, appearing in many high profile ad campaigns and working with some of the best photographers in the fashion industry.
In 1996, Mrs. Trump moved to New York and ten years later, she proudly became a United States Citizen. Mrs. Trump has always been an active member of her community. In 2005, she was Honorary Chairwoman for the Martha Graham Dance Company. That same year, she was awarded Goodwill Ambassador by the American Red Cross—a role she served in for four years. Mrs. Trump served five years as Honorary Chairwoman for the Boys’ Club of New York and was named Woman of the Year in 2006 by the Police Athletic League. Mrs. Trump has participated in National Love Our Children Day and National Child Abuse Prevention month, ringing the closing bell at NASDAQ.
In 2010, Mrs. Trump was the Chairwoman for the American Heart Association, which raised $1.7 million for research. That same year she launched her own jewelry collection.
While Melania Trump became a household name in modeling and a contributing member of her community, she is first and foremost a mother and wife, and in 2017, Melania Trump made the White House and Washington home for her family.
In her role as First Lady, Mrs. Trump focuses her time on the many issues affecting children. An unwavering characteristic of the First Lady is her aptitude for showing love and compassion in all that she does. Mrs. Trump spends much of her time meeting with children who are patients at hospitals and care centers. Recently, she took valentines to the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Over the Easter holiday, she made a surprise visit to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Palm Beach, Florida, bringing Easter baskets to the children. Following the devastating hurricanes last year, Mrs. Trump visited Texas to meet with families that suffered greatly under Hurricane Harvey. In the wake of two horrendous mass shootings, Mrs. Trump traveled with her husband to Las Vegas and Parkland to be with the victims and families in their times of need. Internationally, Mrs. Trump has visited several hospitals and schools. One of her most memorable visits being at the Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesu in the Vatican City, where she met a boy who had been waiting for a new heart. Upon arrival in Belgium the following day, Mrs. Trump learned that the hospital had found a transplant for the boy–Mrs. Trump celebrated the news in a press statement and said “my own heart is filled with joy over the news.”
As First Lady, Mrs. Trump has made multiple visits to schools—both foreign and domestic. From participating in a Viking huddle class, which focuses on emotional learning at Orchard Lake Middle School in Michigan, to taking the Queen of Jordan to Washington, D.C.’s first public charter school for girls at Excel Academy in Southeast, Mrs. Trump is always bringing children to the forefront of her agenda. While traveling abroad, Mrs. Trump visited the American International School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Education Minister Ahmed Al Eissa, and took a calligraphy lesson with local children at Kyobashi Tsukiji Elementary School with Mrs. Abe while visiting Japan. Earlier this spring, Mrs. Trump invited a group of local students to the White House so she could talk with them, hear their stories, and understand the issues they are challenged with today. Mrs. Trump addresses those issues each opportunity she gets. From Governors’ spouses’ luncheons to the United Nations General Assembly, Mrs. Trump puts the emphasis on children and how we can protect them, teach them, and empower them.
In the midst of the opioid epidemic, Mrs. Trump has utilized her platform as First Lady to raise awareness about the dangers of opioid abuse—notably the devastating effects it has on infants and unborn babies. Mrs. Trump traveled to Huntington, West Virginia, where she visited Lily’s Place, the Nation’s first nonprofit infant recovery center that prioritizes the whole family to ensure infants born dependent on drugs are given the best opportunity to thrive. More recently, in February, Mrs. Trump traveled to Ohio to visit Cincinnati Children’s, a leading pediatric hospital where she learned more about the ongoing research around neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)—a harmful result of drug abuse in pregnant mothers. Mrs. Trump has participated in multiple opioid summits and continues to work with the Administration on raising the awareness of opioid abuse and how we can better protect children from it.
On May 7, Mrs. Trump launched BE BEST—an awareness campaign focused entirely around the well-being of children. The campaign has three pillars, which represent key areas of concern for Mrs. Trump: well-being, which includes the social and emotional health of children; social media, and understanding both the positive and negative effects it has on our children; and opioid abuse, and how to protect our most vulnerable from the effects of drug abuse while educating parents about the detrimental effects of opioids.