Melania Trump reportedly wants to continue the #BeBest initiative she launched as FLOTUS, so she’s opening an office at Mar-a-Lago to carry on with her anti-bullying pet project.
Two sources close familiar with the plans tell CNN that Melania’s new Mar-a-Lago office will be staffed by three former White House staff members: Hayley D’Antuono, who served as the former first lady’s director of operations and trip supervisor; Marcia Kelly, who was an unpaid senior adviser; and Mary “Casey” Finzer, who worked as a low-level East Wing staff assistant in charge of gift wrapping and keeping inventory on Melania’s “gift closet.”
CNN reports:
Her intention is to “maintain ‘Be Best,’ ” said one of the sources, Trump’s loosely defined initiative that looks to help children. During her time in the White House, “Be Best” existed as a broad, three-pillared initiative, consisting of children’s health and well-being, safety online and prevention of social media bullying and the impact of the opioid crisis on children.
Trump often did little to help clarify or expand on her platform during her time in the White House, often going weeks between Be Best-focused public events. The East Wing policy office was not robustly staffed, at times sat vacant, and at most had one full-time, dedicated East Wing employee.
Of course, the question almost everyone has about the whole thing is “WHY???” Seriously, why?
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The #BeBest initiative was just an empty platform Melania created at First Lady because, like those f*cking Christmas decorations, she had to do it. It accomplished nothing in four years and had no meaningful impact in the world.
On top of that, Melania isn’t exactly beloved. She left the White House with the lowest favorability rating of any First Lady in modern history, with 47% of people saying they disliked her.
CNN adds that Melania’s #BeBest office is currently being run out of Mar-a-Lago but that she is looking at office space elsewhere in Palm Beach.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Cam
Translation: She’ll claim it’s a non profit. Fund raise on it, pay herself a salary of 99% of whatever it raises, and then donate the remaining 2% to one of the other Trump phony charities.
Essie
I’m not sure but I think an ex-First Lady receives some money from the government to keep an office and staff. Don’t know how much or for how long. I may be wrong though. But, if the government is paying for her staff, she cannot use the office for fund-raising. But, if I’m wrong and she does not get an office and staff then I think you are right about Mel using this to raise money that she will personally use. She hasn’t done anything real for “Be Best” in four years so why start now?
I read somewhere that she asked her assistant to find out if she is entitled to any “pension-like” money after she leaves the WH and was told that NO, she only gets $20K when Dumpty dies. So I guess she needs to try to make a buck somehow since Dumpty seems to be bleeding money and it will only get worst.
Den
The past president will get a pension of $219,000/year with cost of living increases periodically. The first lady gets no pension at all, nor money to set up an office.
What she does get is up to $500,000 reimbursement for “official travel”. Trump will get twice that travel stipend!
Of course it is possible (GOD, I hope it comes to pass) that ALL benefits will be stripped if the senate acts as they really should.
Monkey1
Yikes… pretty low for a first lady but according to the same pole the second-least-popular first lady was Hillary Clinton, who left the White House in 2001 with an unfavorability rating of 39%. Only 8 points difference pretty tight race there.
Cam
Could you trolls please just stop. I mean this isn’t even fun to call out your lies anymore because you’re just so bad at this.
From the link, that unlike you, I will provide: “With Bill Clinton’s involvement in the Monica Lewinsky scandal she became a more sympathetic figure, and a January 1998 Gallup Poll gave her an 80% approval rating. Her last rating in office was 74%/21% in January 2001.”
https: //ropercenter. cornell. edu/then-and-now-first-ladies
I mean, just like a typical Republican, you’re desperate to deflect off of the actual topic that Melania is unpopular, and then you’ll try to lie to do that.
It’s just sad.
Monkey1
Cam I don’t want to reply to you but you constantly try to slip misinformation.
1. I am not a republican because I am not a US citizen, remember? I don’t live in the US. I have no skin in the political games of your country, I’m more interested in accurate reporting.
2. The unfavourability poll quoted in this article is a recent poll conducted by CNN/SSRS and that’s where I got the Hillary figures.
3. Your link is for a GALLOP poll from 2016 – over 4 years ago – that doesn’t even include Melania.
4. That means you’re comparing apples to oranges. Two different polls will naturally bring 2 different results depending on who they include, the types of questions and a miriade of other variables.
5. So according to the CNN/SSRS poll Melania and Hillary are only 8 points apart and you are wrong, yet again.
Cam
@Monkey1
LOL!! Awww, sweetie, try harder. I didn’t link to a poll on Melania. I linked to an article that talked about first lady approval ratings. See, you tried to lie about Hillary Clinton’s ratings so you could make Melania’s seem less bad. Again, your troll game is bad.
As for you being a Republican troll. Well then, isn’t it interesting that right after multiple people on the site call out Roy Ajax, that screename disappears and here you are. And right from the start you were attacking people who had mocked Roy Ajax…you know, almost as if you weren’t a new screename. Hmmmmm
I get it, Russia and the RNC are broke and you’re the best they can afford.
felixthegato
From that same CNN article you’re referring to, it reminds us Hillary was running for and was sworn in Senate (while pushing for health care reform), therefore being seen in a partisan in 2001.
What is Melania’s excuse other than being an utterly horrible human being?
Monkey1
I don’t have an excuse for Melanie, Felix. It was the pollsters who provided the excuse for Hillary, but they didn’t provide much insight, at least not in that article, as to why Melania polled so low. I think we can all assume why.
Den
Whereas Clinton’s approval rating is low at the moment, It was considerably higher most of the time when Bill was in office. Her recent documentary/biopic on Hulu explains pretty well why her approval varied so wildly through the Clinton years and beyond and much of it had to do with attitudes towards women in general.
According to a Gallup poll, specifically tracking HER approval rating over the years, it is lower than Melania’s at the moment, but in January of 2001 Gallop has it as 54% approval, though on the way down.
That said, she was always a woman of substance who inspired strong views both positive and negative. Her popularity was well over 70% at several points.
By contrast Melania is a rather insipid figure with little in the way of accomplishments or charisma. So we expect her approval to be less variable. And in fact, her popularity has simply slowly declined from a high of 54% a few years ago to a low of 47%. Kind of like the popularity rating of wallpaper in a bar.
Monkey1
Interesting, thanks for the info Den.
barryaksarben
Hillary ACTUALLY served the people of this country and got more votes than that orange piece of shit that this cum dump Melania is married to so I think Hillary will be fondly remembered long after this tramp is dumped back into the massage parlor trump found her in. This cow NEVER did anything for this country except steal from it like a hooker who drugged her john. BE BEST is a joke and if it wasnt she would focus on her husband and would have zero time to focus on any other person. We do not want to hear her name any longer
yendor808
Yikes! Seriously, why can’t this worthless Eurotrash skank just leave us alone in peace?! Still promoting her lame “Be Best” hypocritical BS! “I don’t care, do you?” What a low life. But at least she’s keeping other low lifes employed and off the dole. Hell is awaiting you all. Slow burn. I’d buy a ticket.
dougie
Amen! She needs to just stay at Mar-a-Lago and make sure that the “domestics” (aka undocumented immigrants that Trump is so fond of hiring because he doesn’t want to pay a living wage) do their jobs properly.
robertkalin
“Be Best”. I can’t stop laughing at the hypocrisy. Mel, dear, look at your own husband to see what a bully is. Stop him, then we can talk “Be Best”.
Creamsicle
Right? An anti-bullying campaign from the wife of the man who is such a bully that he incited an assault on the U.S. Capitol and got banned from Twitter because his cyber bullying was tearing apart the fabric of the nation.
Openminded
A huge AMEN, Robert. No bigger bully than Trump. As you say, take care of your own house first.
Cam
Also, if you were horribly bad at English, even after living in America for 2 decades, it seems like the last thing you’d want to use for a name for your big program is a grammatically challenged title like “Be Best”.
barryaksarben
BUT she speaks 5 languages and is beloved even tho she is the most bullied person on the planet. SHE is as big a liar as the man who bought her
gjg64
How could she have had so many staffers at the WH? She never did anything but change clothes. Other FLOTUSs were out and about but not her.
Harley
Well, the butt wipe technician, the tampon insertion technician, the tear dabbler technician, the ear swab technician, the douch technician, you get the idea.
Essie
I’m thinking these three women are happy to have ANY job after working at the WH. I mean, being a gift wrapper and monitoring Mel’s “gift closet” doesn’t exactly qualify you for other employment. So, congrats to them for having a job. I mean, times are tough and a girl has to pay the rent. Not all of them can be a “model” like Mel was.
ted72
Still a qunt. Get cancer witch!
Creamsicle
Just wait. We’ll find out how it’s a grift before the year is up.
cuteguy
Empty platform for an empty gold digger
“Be best” at being gone Melanoma Chump
blackhook
Melanie’s Final Words…
“The peoples ask me Melanie how you like live Trump Trash Mansion? I say “Secret Servants take me beach!” and the peoples love First Lady, ME! They say “Melanie you best Racist Birther we ever done had here in the Florida!”
#MelanieRacistBirther
yendor808
Donnie! Not in da butt! I beg you. I am not Ivana or Invanka or Stormy. Please stop.
TedV
It’s amazing she can find the time; I thought she’d be busy looking for dalmation puppies for that coat she wants.
RobF
Another Trump family slush fund, then again I’m sure Donald needs every penny with all the pending debt becoming due next year!
paul dorian lord fredine
i guess he’ll get plenty of experience in wrapping bullshit.
SinthiaDoom
As much as I despise #45, I will say this, the First Lady gets $0.00 for a salary, office or a staff. If for some reason “The Donald”’passed away she does receive $20K a year as a widow of the former president. One of the few things I find humerus and sad at the same time.
nm4047
she had a ‘gift wrapper’ such a personal touch there. The FLOTUS title is only something that has existed for a relatively short time, the wife was purely a handbag. As such, the title receives nothing after leaving office unless the husband turns the toes up.
barryaksarben
Unlike all other first ladies she didnt even write her own thank yous to the white house staff. Ungrateful cow was hardly BEST in that
Cam
One thing that needs repeating.
With ANY former model there is a TON of evidence of their modeling work. With Melania there is none except an old porn shoot that many say are calling cards for escorts.
Trump has claimed his wife was a “Supermodel”. Great, show us any ads, TV spots, or magazine covers she did. Heck, even show us any catalogue work she did.
There is none. Melania being a model is as big a lie as her speaking 5 languages, and her graduating from school.
ScottOnEarth
This woman is a complete joke. She has no formal education (lied on her visa application), was never a fashion model, does not speak five languages (barely speaks English, in fact) and has zero interest in anyone being best. She is never photographed with her only child and never mentions him. She is just as soulless, greedy and self-serving as her sugar-daddy.