Melania Trump acknowledges critics at cyberbullying summit

First lady Melania Trump, wife of one of the most prolific Twitter agitators, acknowledged criticism of her stance against cyberbullying during an event on the topic Tuesday with technology leaders.

“I’m well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic,” Trump said in her opening remarks during the cyberbullying summit at the White House. “I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue and I know that will continue.”


The remarks appeared to address the contrast between her position against verbal attacks online and the fact that her husband, President Donald Trump, has frequently used Twitter to deride and mock his detractors.

Despite the criticism, the first lady said she will continue to advocate for safer spaces for children and teenagers on the web.

“It will not stop me from doing what is right,” she said. “I’m here with one goal: helping children in our next generation.”

Melania Trump hosted representatives from several leading online and social media companies for the meeting, marking her first public event on the topic since she entered the White House.

Among the tech companies in attendance were Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and Snap.

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Prior to the president’s electoral win in November 2016, Melania Trump signaled that she would make combating cyberbullying “one of the main focuses” as first lady.

“It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground,” Trump said during a rare speaking appearance at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. “And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet.”

She continued: “We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other. We must find better ways to honor and support the basic goodness of our children, especially in social media.”

The first lady revisited the topic last September during her first trip to the United Nations, where she stressed that adults, “by our own example,” must lead in teaching children how to properly engage on the internet and on social media.

