Melania Trump vows to take on cyberbullying as first lady

[webfact]

Melania Trump vows to take on cyberbullying as first lady

By ERRIN HAINES WHACK and JILL COLVIN

 

BERWYN, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump's wife, Melania, made a rare appearance on the campaign trail on Thursday, pledging to focus on combatting online bullying and serve as an advocate for women and children if her husband is elected to the White House.

 

Her description of the perils of social media seemed at odds with her husband's divisive and bullying rhetoric throughout the campaign.

"Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers," said Mrs. Trump, delivering a get-out-the-vote speech in the Philadelphia suburbs with less than a week to go before Election Day. "It is never okay when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked" in the school yard, she argued, but it is "absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet. "

 

"We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other," she said.

 

The highly personal speech, which also touched on conversations with her young son, her marriage and her own experience as an immigrant, appeared aimed at humanizing her husband in front of an audience of suburban women who are critical to Trump's hopes in Pennsylvania and other key states.

 

For years, Trump has used his Twitter account to berate and insult his rivals along with reporters, pundits and others who he feels have slighted him. Some educators have even described a so-called "Trump effect" increase in bullying inspired by Trump's bombastic rhetoric.

 

Nonetheless, Mrs. Trump told the audience, "We need to teach our youth American values: kindness, honesty, respect, compassion, charity, understanding, cooperation."

 

The appearance came as Trump's rival Hillary Clinton and her allies have tried to paint the Republican nominee as anti-women, a strategy Democrats see as the best hope for rattling him and driving female voters away.

 

Thursday's speech at the Main Line Sports Center was Mrs. Trump's first since she addressed the Republican National Convention in July. That speech was well-received initially, but was quickly overshadowed by the discovery that sections had been plagiarized from first lady Michelle Obama's address to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

 

While Mrs. Trump has given several television interviews and appeared by her husband's side at events, the former model is more often seen than heard. She explains her frequent absence from the campaign trail by saying her priority is raising the couple's 10-year-old son, Barron.

 

In her remarks, Mrs. Trump described her husband as a "fighter," beholden to no one, who "will never give up."

 

"He certainly knows how to shake things up, doesn't he?" she joked.

 

She also spent time describing how, growing up in her native Slovenia, "America was the word for freedom and opportunity. America meant: If you could dream it, you could become it."

 

Receiving U.S. citizenship after a 10-year process, she said, was "the greatest privilege in the world."

 

In addition to his wife, Trump's four oldest children have also been campaigning across the country, along with supporters like House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

 

Meanwhile, Clinton's campaign has deployed her husband, former President Bill Clinton, along with President Barack Obama, Mrs. Obama and a long list of celebrity backers to help her get out the vote.

__

Colvin reported from Jersey City, New Jersey.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-11-04

[NongKhaiKid]

The BBC described her as one of the Trump campaign's ' big guns ' !

Hardly.

[silent]

47 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

The BBC described her as one of the Trump campaign's ' big guns ' !

Hardly.

I think big  "guns" might have been mistranslated in British

[scorecard]

She will be an advocate for women.

 

How ironic...

[keith101]

her first target would have to be her own husband and his tweets

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Mrs. Trump told the audience, "We need to teach our youth American values: kindness, honesty, respect, compassion, charity, understanding, cooperation."

That's nice. I think she should run for President... aw shucks, she is an immigrant. Maybe she can teach those values to the candidates in less than a week?

[Belzybob]

"Nonetheless, Mrs. Trump told the audience, "We need to teach our youth American values: kindness, honesty, respect, compassion, charity, understanding, cooperation."

 

That's Donny out of the running then.

[Kiwiken]

But if He is elected President will she be sent home with the other Immigrants he is going to clean up after all she was born in a "Socialist Country".

He does not have reds under the bed

[KKr]

3 hours ago, NongKhaiKid said:

The BBC described her as one of the Trump campaign's ' big guns ' !

Hardly.

I think they mean to say: another big loose canon.
Donald Duck and Minnie

Edited November 4, 2016 by KKr

[Prbkk]

Good for her, it's a worthwhile cause and one that largely has been ignored by the armchair revolutionaries like Zuckerberg and his creepy band.

[Caveat Emptor]

5 hours ago, NongKhaiKid said:

The BBC described her as one of the Trump campaign's ' big guns ' !

Hardly.

Is it a coincidence I wonder but the BBC changed their headline from ' big gun ' to her ' making one of her rare speeches " ?

[Andaman Al]

Does stopping the bullying mean stopping the bullying attacks (threatening with lawsuits) on those who exercise their first amendment right to free speech when discussing people running for public office.

[Dustdevil]

Well then she needs to have a talk with hubby about cyber-bullying, no?

[Dustdevil]

If the BBC actually referred to Melania Trump as a "Big Gun" then they are truly clueless about American politics in its current state. They got confused: now Michelle Obama, there's a Big Gun for you. Extremely popular among all decent human beings and even the Republicans seldom criticize her. I hope and expect her to be "rolled out" tomorrow and Monday for some truly inspiring speeches.

[Jingthing]

Bullying?

Charity begins at home. 

[Tug]

Bizzare  she is marryed to a world class predator bulley!! I guess if you tell a really big lie they expect us to believe it!

[Jingthing]

Just now, Tug said:

Bizzare  she is marryed to a world class predator bulley!! I guess if you tell a really big lie they expect us to believe it!

Yeah, that's the basic idea and it's kind of working. Hopefully not quite enough to hit 270 electoral votes. 

[jcsmith]

I guess she could start by throwing Donald in jail? He's one of the biggest cyber bullies out there. 

[JHolmesJr]

she will have her work cut out for her on TV.

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

serve as an advocate for women and children if her husband is elected to the White House.

Please spare me this malarkey it is a bit tedious. Start with your husband. When it comes to women he is really a "hands on" guy. His opinion of his billionaire status vs beautiful women is well documented. They are objects of pleasure only to be later discarded much like your predecessors were. Be careful after he becomes president he could go out and start to kick the tires at the Ford Modeling Agency or elsewhere where the young and ambitious very young ladies hang out. Beauty soon fades and they must corral a moneyed mate before their petals start to droop.

[NongKhaiKid]

1 hour ago, Dustdevil said:

If the BBC actually referred to Melania Trump as a "Big Gun" then they are truly clueless about American politics in its current state. They got confused: now Michelle Obama, there's a Big Gun for you. Extremely popular among all decent human beings and even the Republicans seldom criticize her. I hope and expect her to be "rolled out" tomorrow and Monday for some truly inspiring speeches.

See post 11 and I can confirm the BBC changed their introduction.

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, Caveat Emptor said:

Is it a coincidence I wonder but the BBC changed their headline from ' big gun ' to her ' making one of her rare speeches " ?

The Dodo bird is rare well no extincto

[elgordo38]

3 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

See post 11 and I can confirm the BBC changed their introduction.

I hope Michele makes a run at the oval office someday. What a breath of fresh air in this stale environment. One must take a trip to the zoo from time to time to regain their sensibilities 

[Andaman Al]

7 hours ago, NongKhaiKid said:

The BBC described her as one of the Trump campaign's ' big guns ' !

Hardly.

I have listened to it, I think they say one of Trumps campaigners, Melania has got 'Big Buns'   

[Jingthing]

31 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

I hope Michele makes a run at the oval office someday. What a breath of fresh air in this stale environment. One must take a trip to the zoo from time to time to regain their sensibilities 

Sure, if she becomes a U.S. senator and Secretary of State first ... then we'll see.

Just being first lady, even such a great first lady does NOT qualify a person to be president. 

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Sure, if she becomes a U.S. senator and Secretary of State first ... then we'll see.

Just being first lady, even such a great first lady does NOT qualify a person to be president. 

 

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Sure, if she becomes a U.S. senator and Secretary of State first ... then we'll see.

Just being first lady, even such a great first lady does NOT qualify a person to be president. 

Its a refreshing start over and above the qualified people being offered now. If she goes the route you state she will amass to much baggage much as Hillary has done. Sorry after 5 decades of this political horse pucky I am getting a bit disillusioned. 

[Jingthing]

No amateurs please. Not for the top job. 

 

Would you prefer a surgeon with no experience? 

Edited November 4, 2016 by Jingthing

[freebyrd]

People in glass houses...... Trump is the No.1 cyber bully.

[Jingthing]

Now for a REAL anti-bullying plan from someone both competent and credible on the issue.

 

Melania fighting bullying? That's a JOKE. 

 

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2016/10/27/better-than-bullying-hillary-clintons-plan-to-create-safer-schools-for-our-kids/

 

 

[Johpa]

A pundit on MSNBC last night did note the irony with Republican wives in that Laura Bush picked the cause of illiteracy during her tenure.