On Friday, First Lady Melania Trump tweeted about her "Be Best" social media initiative:
"As the legacy of #BeBest comes to a close at the @WhiteHouse, we must continue to give
a voice to our Nation's children & the issues that impact their lives," she wrote. "It's the values & spirit of the American people that inspired Be Best & it's those values that will carry on its mission."
As the legacy of #BeBest comes to a close at the @WhiteHouse, we must continue to give a voice to our Nation's children & the issues that impact their lives. It's the values & spirit of the American people that inspired Be Best & it's those values that will carry on its mission. pic.twitter.com/fRBTWphmlj
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) January 15, 2021
This tweet came one week after her husband, Donald Trump, was permanently banned from Twitter, his preferred platform for years. Twitter users were quick to point out the irony of the first lady's tweet, considering her husband's recent bans from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more.
The legacy of #BeBest was sealed Jan 6 at the Capital, and your husband getting banned off twitter. That’s the legacy of your thingy.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) January 15, 2021
#BeBest has been a painfully absurd fraud. Your husband tried to bully a nation into keeping him in power—and as a result five people died and the US was traumatized. Let’s hope the legacy here is one of oblivious hypocrisy. (Oh yeah, caged kids. He did that, too.) https://t.co/M2ZQONY32w
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) January 15, 2021
The legacy? Bahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahaha
Your husband is the biggest online bully the world’s ever seen. Your mission failed miserably. And it was just more propaganda.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) January 15, 2021
What legacy? Your husband demonstrated to children all over America that bullying wasn't just okay, it was something the President of the United States does. He modeled childish temper tantrums and insults for four years. That's your legacy, lady. https://t.co/d0wNRT5hRv
— Elizabeth Spiers (@espiers) January 15, 2021
Thank you, First Lady. Your Be Best initiative cleared social media of its biggest cyber bully. Thank you for your effort and all you’ve done. pic.twitter.com/mSj6nMuUW1
— Ed (@EdbrohamLincoln) January 15, 2021
Be Best. pic.twitter.com/sKMB6ydLJv
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) January 15, 2021
Trump launched Be Best in 2018, the purpose of which she said then was to focus on "well-being, fighting opioid addition, and positivity on social media."
"You do have to hand it to the first lady for her seemingly un-ironic commitment to fighting bullying on social media," R. Eric Thomas wrote for ELLE.com then. "This is the best use of policy as subtweet since Abigail Adams painted 'Give women the vote or GTFO' on the White House lawn. In any case, we'll soon be free from the constant haranguing, petty insults, and angry, aimless aggression of such online hate accounts as ::check notes:: @RealDonaldTrump. Bullying is so yesterday a few hours ago. Welcome to the Bestistance! Everyone is going to... Be Best. Feeling like calling Chuck Todd a name? How about you Be Best?!"