Melania Trump's 'Be Best' Campaign Sparked A Rare Moment Of Self-Awareness In Donald

Melania Trump has often had a reputation for being a less-than-enthusiastic first lady. Early in Donald Trump's first term, she stayed away from Washington, D.C., until June 2017 to minimize upheaval for their son, Barron Trump. Once she arrived, Melania followed in the footsteps of her predecessors by developing her own signature policy initiative. Just under a year later, Melania's "Be Best" debuted with policies aimed at protecting children both IRL and online. Due to her husband's behavior on social media, people quickly spotted some irony in the component of Melania's program that targeted online bullying. "President Trump's habit of attacking, you know, the intelligence and appearance of his critics on Twitter has been well-established," NPR journalist Sarah McCammon noted in May 2018.

Surprisingly, Donald also made this connection long before "Be Best" became official. An insider told the New York Times in August 2018 that he apparently tried to deter Melania. However, cyberbullying likely felt very personal to her since Barron had already been targeted online at the beginning of his dad's presidency. A month after "Be Best" launched, Melania even got Secret Service involved when a tweet about Barron crossed the line, which may have solidified her belief that her initiative's importance outweighed any hassles.

Unfortunately, Donald was right about the snarkiness potential. "For any other first lady, awkward phrasing aside, 'Be Best' would have been a safe choice," Michael D'Antonio declared in an opinion piece for CNN in January 2019. "The trouble here is that her husband, the bullying and graceless Donald Trump, is very bad for kids."

Although Donald Trump was self-aware about his online behavior, Melania Trump's antibullying strategy didn't inspire him to change. Instead, Donald's lack of self-control continued to steal the spotlight. After Melania claimed in August 2018 that, "[Social media] can be used in many positive ways but can also be destructive and harmful when used incorrectly," (via The Washington Post), Donald's usual online rants illustrated her point in the most unhelpful way possible.  

In addition to this ongoing dissonance between the first couple's messaging, Melania's "Be Best" campaign was criticized for a lack of originality. Some surmised Melania was riffing on Michelle Obama's entreaty to "Be Better." This comment likely had some sting, since Melania's 2016 speech at the Republican National Convention had chunks that were plagiarized from a speech Michelle gave eight years earlier. To make matters worse, one of Melania's "Be Best" handouts was also accused of plagiarism. However, Snopes declared the claim "mostly false," since the real hang-up was the way the authors were credited online. In actuality, Melania provided an all-original intro to updated materials, which were originally created by the Federal Trade Commission before her tenure as first lady.

Despite various setbacks, she persevered. Post-White House, Melania continued spending time on "Be Best," as well as when she reassumed her first lady role. "I didn't have much support from anyone," Melania explained to Fox News in January 2025, reflecting on the program's early years. Although Melania specifically called out online streamers for their lack of partnership, she might have also considered putting in a private word at home.