First lady Melania Trump will add another component to her Be Best program, highlighting government agencies’ interaction with young people and working with the groups to improve youth programs.
The first lady’s office said in a news release that Trump will engage Monday the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs, created during President George W. Bush’s tenure.
“When Mrs. Trump was made aware that there is an existing mechanism in government that convenes 20 agencies that focus on youth-specific programs, she saw that as a real opportunity to bring their good work to the forefront and ensure that those programs aligned with BeBest get the attention and focus they deserve,” Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN.
The first lady will present the youth-centric portions of a number of government agencies, including the State Department, Department of Labor and The Office of National Drug Control Policy. According to her spokeswoman, Trump will focus on those programs that align with her BeBest initiative.
Grisham added that the meeting on Monday will be the first one the group has held under the current administration. “There had been very small, very sporadic meetings at the staff level. This event is significant in that it will be the first to bring a large number of principals from the agencies together.”
Melania Trump’s Be Best initiative focuses on the health and well-being of children, social media kindness and safety, and assisting families impacted by the opioid crisis. The first lady has faced criticism for including cyberbullying considering the President’s constant use of Twitter to attack his opponents.
Grisham stressed, however, that the first lady’s ideologies often differ from those of her husband, while Trump herself said she had expected to be criticized for her selection of cyberbullying in light of her husband’s behavior.
“The idea that two people who are married have to agree on all the same issues is antiquated. She does not control what [the president] does, he does not control what she does; I think that is something to be celebrated,” the spokeswoman said.
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