First lady Melania Trump defends husband's Twitter attack on MSNBC hosts
Melania Trump defended her husband, President Donald Trump, on Thursday morning after he tweeted a personal attack aimed at MSNBC morning hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough.
The first lady's communications director told reporters, "As the First Lady has stated publicly...when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder."
.@StephGrisham45: "As the First Lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder."
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 29, 2017
The president took to Twitter Thursday morning to hit the MSNBC talent, directly criticizing Brzezinski for "bleeding badly from a face-lift."
I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
Many took to twitter to weigh in on the first lady's response, with many, including NBC New's Katy Tur, pointing out that the first lady appeared to be condoning cyberbullying -- the opposite of the planned anti-bullying initiative Melania Trump was expected to lead.
Shorter: It's ok to bully - @FLOTUShttps://t.co/BbrzEABwkW
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) June 29, 2017
Melania Trump pledged in 2016 that she would head a campaign against cyberbullying as the first lady. However, her office has yet to materialize a clear plan or strategy.
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CNN's Jake Tapper directly questioned, "How is @FLOTUS's campaign against cyber-bullying going?"
This reminds me: how is @FLOTUS's campaign against cyber-bullying going? https://t.co/X4xmyreGLH
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 29, 2017
Her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, told USA Today in May that her anti-cyber bullying effort is still in the works.
"Mrs. Trump is being very thoughtful when it comes to building out her initiatives," Grisham told the publication. Adding that the first lady is taking her time hiring because she values "quality over quantity."
In a statement to Politico in June, Grisham noted that while cyberbullying is a topic the first lady talks about, it is just a piece of what she will really "focus" on.
"While cyber-bullying is something she speaks out against, that is but one subset of her focus around the overall wellness of children," Grisham said