In the nine months that Donald Trump has been in the White House, First Lady Melania Trump has mostly stayed out of the headlines. Despite this, Melania found herself back in the spotlight following controversial remarks made by her husband's first ex-wife, and then again after tweeting about the opioid crisis in the United States.
Melania on Twitter
It all started back in the summer of 2015 when Donald Trump kicked off his campaign for president with his family by his side on the floor of Trump Tower.
As the former host of "The Apprentice" gained steam and eventually went on to win the Republican nomination, questions were raised as to what role Melania Trump will have moving forward. Melania didn't start off well following her speech at the Republican National Convention which was found to have been plagiarized from one given by Michelle Obama back in 2008. Since then, Melania has kept a relatively low profile, which has continued for the most part since the first couple found themselves in the White House. On Monday, Melania responded, via a statement, to comments made by the president's first ex-wife Ivana Trump who claimed she was the real "first lady" during her book tour.
As the news media centered around the spat between the two women, Melania also addressed a more serious issue during a October 9 tweet.
Taking to Twitter on Monday night, Melania Trump addressed the ongoing opioid crisis in the country, while announcing her plan to travel to West Virginia on Tuesday to elaborate further on the issue. "Tmw I travel to WV on behalf of kids," she wrote, before adding, "Babies born addicted to opioids often end up in foster system-we must help parents overcome addiction." While Melania's tweet was innocent and non-controversial, those who oppose the president wasted no time going on the attack.
Twitter reacts
Starting within minutes of Melania Trump posting her message on Twitter, backlash quickly followed behind her.
"And you'll accomplish this through dismantling public healthcare, right? Cool!" one tweet sarcastically read.
"So? This means you support health care for all? That mental illness & addiction are epidemics that need to be covered & addressed NOW!" one Twitter user added. "Maybe start with helping people #GetCovered, not taking health care from over 30 MILLION AMERICANS..." another tweet stated.
"#POTUS is making it harder for women to have access to birth control. So, more unwanted babies will be born in this predicament. #Clueless," yet another tweet read. As the critics sounded off in the comments, it reflected the wide political divide in the country.