# Be Best
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{{Short description|Anti-cyberbullying campaign in the United States}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox project
| abbreviation =
| name = Be Best
| logo = Be Best.svg
| mission_statement = Focuses on youth well-being, combating cyberbullying and opioid abuse, and expanding to include combating revenge porn and improving the lives of children in foster care.
| commercial = No
| type = Public-awareness campaign
| products = Educational pamphlets and launch video
| location = United States (promoted internationally in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt)
| country = United States
| founder = Melania Trump
| established = {{Start date|2018|05|07|df=y}}
| disestablished = 2021 (resumed 2025)
| funding = Promotes existing initiatives and organizations
| current_status = Active (resumed as of 2025)
}}
'''Be Best''' is a public-awareness campaign first promoted by [First Lady](/source/First_lady_of_the_United_States) [Melania Trump](/source/Melania_Trump). It began in 2018 and continued until 2021. The campaign resumed in 2025. Its initial focuses included youth well-being and combating [cyberbullying](/source/cyberbullying); the initiative's scope was expanded to include combating [revenge porn](/source/revenge_porn) and improving the lives and well-being of children, including those in foster care during her second tenure as first lady.[{{Cite web|title=Melania Trump {{!}} Biography & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Melania-Trump|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021203943/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Melania-Trump|url-status=live}}][{{cite web |last1=Leonard |first1=Ben |last2=Burns |first2=Dasha |title=Melania Trump lobbies Congress to combat 'revenge porn' |url=https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/03/congress/melania-trump-lobbies-congress-to-combat-revenge-porn-00208984 |website=[Politico](/source/Politico) |access-date=2025-03-05 |date=2025-03-03}}][{{cite web |author=White House |date=November 13, 2025 |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/11/first-lady-melania-trump-announces-executive-order-on-fostering-the-future-opens-new-opportunities-for-public-private-partnerships/ |title=First Lady Melania Trump Announces Executive Order on Fostering the Future, Opens New Opportunities for Public-Private Partnerships |access-date=April 14, 2026 |website=whitehouse.gov |language=en-US}}]
== Background ==
Five days before the 2016 election, Melania told a crowd of supporters in Pennsylvania: "Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers. It is never okay when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied, or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground. And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the Internet".[{{cite news |last=Zorthian |first=Julia |date=November 3, 2016 |title=Read Melania Trump's Campaign Speech Addressing Cyberbullying |url=https://time.com/4557033/transcript-melania-trump-campaign-speech/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110131656/http://time.com/4557033/transcript-melania-trump-campaign-speech/ |archive-date=November 10, 2016 |access-date=November 11, 2016 |magazine=[Time](/source/Time_(magazine)) |location=New York City}}] Regarding the contrast of her platform with [her husband's use of social media](/source/Social_media_use_by_Donald_Trump) during his campaign, Melania said shortly after the election that she had rebuked him "all the time", but that "he will do what he wants to do in the end".[{{Cite news |last=Flores |first=Reena |date=November 13, 2016 |title=Melania Trump rebukes her husband 'all the time' for Twitter use |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-melania-trump-60-minutes-interview-rebukes-twitter-use/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114070139/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-melania-trump-60-minutes-interview-rebukes-twitter-use/ |archive-date=November 14, 2016 |access-date=November 14, 2016 |website=[CBS News](/source/CBS_News)}}]
On March 13, 2018, Melania scheduled a March 20, 2018 meeting with policy executives from technology companies — including [Amazon](/source/Amazon_(company)), [Facebook](/source/Facebook), [Google](/source/Google), [Snap](/source/Snap_Inc.), and [Twitter](/source/Twitter) — to address online harassment and Internet safety, with a particular focus on how those issues and modern technology affect children.[{{cite news |last=Romm |first=Tony |date=March 13, 2018 |title=Melania Trump will meet with tech giants including Facebook and Google to talk cyberbullying |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/03/13/melania-trump-will-meet-with-tech-giants-including-facebook-and-google-to-talk-cyberbullying/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315142027/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/03/13/melania-trump-will-meet-with-tech-giants-including-facebook-and-google-to-talk-cyberbullying/ |archive-date=March 15, 2018 |access-date=March 15, 2018 |newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post) |issn=0190-8286}}] In her opening remarks at the roundtable event, she said: "I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic", but "that will not stop me from doing what I know is right"; seemingly a response to criticism for championing Internet civility while her husband's Internet behavior had been noted as uncivil.[{{cite news |last=Bennett |first=Kate |title=Melania Trump addresses critics head-on |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/20/politics/melania-trump-cyberbulling/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424072115/https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/20/politics/melania-trump-cyberbulling/index.html |archive-date=April 24, 2018 |access-date=April 23, 2018 |work=CNN}}][{{cite news |title=Kimmel: Melania Trump emerges after 'Winter Stormy Daniels' to renew cyberbullying crusade |url=https://www.yahoo.com/gma/kimmel-melania-trump-emerges-winter-stormy-daniels-renew-095803655--abc-news-topstories.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315163733/https://www.yahoo.com/gma/kimmel-melania-trump-emerges-winter-stormy-daniels-renew-095803655--abc-news-topstories.html |archive-date=March 15, 2018 |access-date=March 15, 2018}}]
== Campaign ==
thumb|Be Best official launch video and announcement (17 minutes)
[[File:Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the announcement of the First Lady’s Be Best initiative.jpg|thumb|President [Donald Trump](/source/Donald_Trump) and First Lady [Melania Trump](/source/Melania_Trump) with students in the [Oval Office](/source/Oval_Office) at the announcement of the initiative]]
[Melania Trump](/source/Melania_Trump) made the initiative and came up with the name "Be Best". She said she was prepared for criticism.[{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/us/politics/melania-trump-first-lady.html|title=Melania Trump, a Mysterious First Lady, Weathers a Chaotic White House|last1=Rogers|first1=Katie|date=August 17, 2018|work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)|access-date=August 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180820102658/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/us/politics/melania-trump-first-lady.html|archive-date=August 20, 2018|last2=Davis|first2=Julie Hirschfeld|last3=Haberman|first3=Maggie|authorlink3=Maggie Haberman}}][{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402435-trump-didnt-want-melanias-platform-to-be-anti-bullying-initiative|title=Trump tried to dissuade Melania from 'Be Best' anti-bullying campaign: report|last=Wise|first=Justin|date=August 17, 2018|work=[The Hill](/source/The_Hill_(newspaper))|access-date=August 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217080702/https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402435-trump-didnt-want-melanias-platform-to-be-anti-bullying-initiative|archive-date=February 17, 2019}}]
On May 7, 2018, Melania Trump formally started the Be Best public awareness campaign, which focused on well-being for youth and advocated against [cyberbullying](/source/cyberbullying) and [opioid abuse](/source/opioid_abuse).{{Sfn|Caroli|2019|p=345}}{{Sfn|Jordan|2020|p=247}} She made the announcement in the [White House Rose Garden](/source/White_House_Rose_Garden), a space more typically used for major political announcements from the president.{{Sfn|Bennett|2019|p=216}} Instead of creating new programs like previous first ladies' projects, Be Best promoted existing initiatives and organizations that worked toward the cause. Public awareness of the initiative remained low, and it was often regarded solely as an anti-cyberbullying campaign.{{Sfn|Bennett|2019|p=158}}
She formally introduced the campaign on May 7, 2018. Following her speech in the [White House Rose Garden](/source/White_House_Rose_Garden), President [Donald Trump](/source/Donald_Trump) signed a [proclamation](/source/Presidential_proclamation_(United_States)) declaring May 7 "Be Best" day.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44034723|title=Melania Trump unveils 'Be Best' campaign for children|date=May 7, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510064638/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44034723|archive-date=May 10, 2018|work=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)}}][{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/melania-trump-platform/|title=Melania Trump speaks: Live updates|last1=Rocha|first1=Veronica|date=May 7, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190928034123/https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/melania-trump-platform/|archive-date=September 28, 2019|publisher=[CNN](/source/CNN)|last2=Wagner|first2=Meg}}][{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/melania-trump-unveils-be-best-initiative-to-help-kids|title=Melania Trump unveils 'Be Best' initiative to help kids|last=Pappas|first=Alex|date=May 7, 2018|access-date=May 7, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115131056/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/melania-trump-unveils-be-best-initiative-to-help-kids|archive-date=January 15, 2019|publisher=[Fox News](/source/Fox_News)}}] Unlike policy initiatives by previous first ladies (such as [Michelle Obama](/source/Michelle_Obama)'s [Let's Move!](/source/Let's_Move!) campaign against childhood obesity, or [Nancy Reagan](/source/Nancy_Reagan)'s [Just Say No](/source/Just_Say_No) to drugs campaign), Be Best is broad in scope. The initiative focuses on physical and emotional well-being, and also advocates against [cyberbullying](/source/cyberbullying) and [opioid abuse](/source/opioid_abuse).[{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/05/07/609180852/first-lady-melania-trump-unveils-be-best-campaign-focusing-on-children|title=First Lady Melania Trump Unveils 'Be Best' Campaign, Focusing On Children|last1=McCammon|first1=Sarah|date=May 7, 2018|access-date=July 31, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510162925/https://www.npr.org/2018/05/07/609180852/first-lady-melania-trump-unveils-be-best-campaign-focusing-on-children|archive-date=May 10, 2018|publisher=[NPR](/source/NPR)}}]
The initiative began with a very slow start, as Melania Trump underwent kidney surgery one week after the campaign was launched. She made no public appearances for the next several weeks.[{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/06/07/617642736/1-month-later-whats-become-of-melania-trumps-be-best-campaign|title=One Month Later, What's Become Of Melania Trump's 'Be Best' Campaign?|last1=McCammon|first1=Sarah|date=June 7, 2018|access-date=July 31, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212030556/https://www.npr.org/2018/06/07/617642736/1-month-later-whats-become-of-melania-trumps-be-best-campaign|archive-date=February 12, 2019|publisher=NPR}}] On July 24, 2018, she visited the [Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt](/source/Monroe_Carell_Jr._Children's_Hospital_at_Vanderbilt) in [Nashville, Tennessee](/source/Nashville%2C_Tennessee), and talked about children with [neonatal withdrawal](/source/neonatal_withdrawal).[{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/melania-trump-be-best-nashville/index.html|title=Melania Trump pushes 'Be Best' initiative with trip to Nashville|last=Bennett|first=Kate|date=July 24, 2018|access-date=August 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810145851/https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/melania-trump-be-best-nashville/index.html|archive-date=August 10, 2018|publisher=CNN}}] On August 6, 2018, she tweeted: "It's #Backtoschool for many youth this month. As you begin a new year, how will you be the best you? #BeBest".[{{cite web|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/melania-trumps-back-to-school-tweet-about-be-best-totally-backfired-10035042|title=Melania Trump's Tweet About "Be Best" Back-To-School Tips Totally Backfired|last=Stewart|first=Chelsea|date=August 8, 2018|work=[Elite Daily](/source/Elite_Daily)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809022605/https://www.elitedaily.com/p/melania-trumps-back-to-school-tweet-about-be-best-totally-backfired-10035042|archive-date=August 9, 2018|access-date=August 20, 2018}}] She spoke at a cyberbullying summit outside [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), on August 20, 2018.[{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lady-melania-trump-speaks-cyberbullying/story?id=57284988|title=First lady Melania Trump speaks out against cyberbullying|last=Phelps|first=Jordyn|date=August 20, 2018|access-date=August 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825024152/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lady-melania-trump-speaks-cyberbullying/story?id=57284988|archive-date=August 25, 2018|work=[ABC News](/source/ABC_News_(United_States))}}]
During the initiative's first year, she also promoted Be Best in-person at events in Oklahoma, Washington state, and Nevada. She also promoted Be Best abroad in trips to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt.[{{Cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/07/melania-trump-what-her-be-best-initiative-what-has-done/1129033001/|title=Melania Trump marked one year of 'Be Best.' What is it, and what has it accomplished?|access-date=2021-01-21|archive-date=2021-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323032858/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/07/melania-trump-what-her-be-best-initiative-what-has-done/1129033001/|url-status=live}}]
In 2020, when scholars and historians were asked during the [Siena College Research Institute](/source/Siena_College_Research_Institute)'s first ladies study to assess the signature initiatives of the then most-recent ten first ladies (those from [Lady Bird Johnson](/source/Lady_Bird_Johnson) onward), "Be Best" was ranked as the least-effective.[{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt America's Top First Lady for 6th Consecutive Time Abigail Adams Finishes a Close Second; Michelle Obama Moves to Third First Lady Initiatives – Lady Bird Johnson (Environmental Protection) Did Most to Raise Awareness and Address the Issue; Obama (Childhood Obesity), Betty Ford (Women's Rights), and Barbara Bush (Literacy) Made Major Contributions Jackie Kennedy - 4th but First on Being a White House Steward & Public Image |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FirstLadies2020Release.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=6 March 2024 |date=December 9, 2020 |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308234420/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FirstLadies2020Release.pdf |url-status=live }}]
== Criticism ==
The slogan "Be Best" has faced criticism for having an apparent [grammatical error](/source/Error_(linguistics)), as in English there would be a definite article, and would therefore read: "Be the Best".[{{Cite news|url=https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/be-best-has-to-be-a-bad-slogan-on-purpose.html|title="Be Best" Has to Be Bad on Purpose, Right?|last=Schwedel|first=Heather|date=May 7, 2018|work=[Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine))|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106212119/https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/be-best-has-to-be-a-bad-slogan-on-purpose.html|url-status=live}}][{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-does-be-best-mean-melania-trump-913429|title=What does 'Be Best' mean? Melania Trump unveils a new initiative aimed at helping children|last=Kwong|first=Jessica|date=May 7, 2018|work=[Newsweek](/source/Newsweek)|access-date=May 9, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312191927/https://www.newsweek.com/what-does-be-best-mean-melania-trump-913429|archive-date=March 12, 2019}}][{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-childlike-strangeness-of-melania-trumps-be-best-campaign|title=The Childlike Strangeness of Melania Trump's "Be Best" Campaign|last=Waldman|first=Katy|date=May 8, 2018|magazine=[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)|access-date=December 14, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180510023434/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-childlike-strangeness-of-melania-trumps-be-best-campaign|archive-date=May 10, 2018}}][{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Melania-Trump-s-new-initiative-needs-a-new-name-12898575.php|title=Melania Trump's new initiative needs a new name|date=May 8, 2018|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=December 14, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402195012/https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Melania-Trump-s-new-initiative-needs-a-new-name-12898575.php|archive-date=April 2, 2019}}]{{Sfn|Bennett|2019|p=216}} ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'' noted, however, that Mrs. Trump's native language, [Slovenian](/source/Slovene_language), does not use definite articles. According to ''[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)'', the name is a childlike attempt to one-up "Be better", the catchphrase that [Michelle Obama](/source/Michelle_Obama) is known to have used during her tenure as First Lady.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw|title='Be Best': does Melania Trump's oddly named initiative break the laws of grammar?|last=Hill|first=Tim|date=May 8, 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 9, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608073510/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/08/be-best-melania-trump-initiative-grammatical-flaw|archive-date=June 8, 2018}}][{{Cite news |last=Waldman |first=Katy |date=2018-05-08 |title=The Childlike Strangeness of Melania Trump’s “Be Best” Campaign |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-childlike-strangeness-of-melania-trumps-be-best-campaign |access-date=2025-05-07 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}] Mrs. Trump's senior advisor, [Stephanie Winston Wolkoff](/source/Stephanie_Winston_Wolkoff), called the slogan "illiterate" and pushed for an alternative slogan, "Children First", which the First Lady rejected due to the similarities with her husband's "[America First](/source/America_First_(policy))" branding.[{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/behind-the-scenes-of-trumps-107-million-inauguration|title="I Am Disgusted": Behind The Scenes of Trump's Increasingly Scrutinized $107 Million Inauguration|author=Fox|first=Emily Jane|date=February 7, 2019|work=[Vanity Fair](/source/Vanity_Fair_(magazine))|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190211211809/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/behind-the-scenes-of-trumps-107-million-inauguration|archive-date=February 11, 2019|access-date=February 8, 2019}}] She commented to her staff that "at least they won't say I plagiarized it".{{Sfn|Jordan|2020|p=247}}
Melania Trump faced accusations of plagiarization of a Michelle Obama speech when, as part of her "Be Best" campaign in 2018, she gave a speech that appeared to closely echo remarks by Michelle Obama in 2016 and also distributed a written pamphlet that was nearly identical to one published under the [Obama administration](/source/Obama_administration) in 2014.[{{cite news |author=Michelle Ruiz |date=May 8, 2018 |title=Did Melania Trump Plagiarize the Obamas... Again? |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/melania-trump-be-best-plagiarism-scandal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114220438/https://www.vogue.com/article/melania-trump-be-best-plagiarism-scandal |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |work=[Vogue](/source/Vogue_(magazine))}}][{{cite news |author=Ashley Hoffman |date=May 7, 2018 |title=People Have a Lot of Feelings About Melania Trump's New Cyberbullying Initiative |url=https://time.com/5268499/melania-trump-cyberbullying-humor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610210924/https://time.com/5268499/melania-trump-cyberbullying-humor/ |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |magazine=[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))}}]
The ''Be Best'' campaign drew criticism over perceived hypocrisy for its goal of challenging cyberbullying as her husband Donald Trump was well known for [attacking people on social media](/source/Social_media_use_by_Donald_Trump).{{Sfn|Jordan|2020|pp=247–248}} The comparison was noted upon by Donald Trump prior to his campaign's launch that the contrast could provoke criticism.{{Sfn|Bennett|2019|p=158}} She acknowledged the discrepancy but insisted that she would continue because she felt it was a good cause.{{Sfn|Jordan|2020|pp=247–248}} On December 12, 2019, Melania Trump's "Be Best" hashtag trended on [Twitter](/source/Twitter) after the President sent a critical tweet directed to then 16-year-old climate activist [Greta Thunberg](/source/Greta_Thunberg).[{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/474302-melania-trumps-be-best-hashtag-trends-after-president-goes-after|title=Melania Trump's 'Be Best' hashtag trends after president goes after Greta Thunberg|last=Gstalter|first=Morgan|date=2019-12-12|website=The Hill|language=en|access-date=2019-12-13|archive-date=2021-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019184528/https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/474302-melania-trumps-be-best-hashtag-trends-after-president-goes-after|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/melania-trump-humiliation-flotus-criticized-after-donald-called-greta-thunbergs-new-2884501|title=Melania Trump Humiliation: FLOTUS Criticized After Donald Called Greta Thunberg's New Milestone 'So Ridiculous'|last=Virtudazo|first=Nica|date=2019-12-12|website=International Business Times|access-date=2019-12-13|archive-date=2021-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019155345/https://www.ibtimes.com/melania-trump-humiliation-flotus-criticized-after-donald-called-greta-thunbergs-new-2884501|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/3148805/trump-attacks-greta-thunberg-for-being-time-person-of-the-year/|title=#BeBest Who? Trump Just Bullied 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg On Twitter|last=Silva|first=Christianna|publisher=MTV News|language=en|access-date=2019-12-13|archive-date=2021-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019161810/http://www.mtv.com/news/3148805/trump-attacks-greta-thunberg-for-being-time-person-of-the-year/|url-status=dead}}][{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/people-share-melania-trumps-anti-bullying-best-slogan-after-president-mocks-teenager-greta-1476935|title=People share Melania Trump's anti-bullying "Be Best" slogan after president mocks teenager Greta Thunberg|last=Fink|first=Jenni |website=Newsweek|access-date=2019-12-13|archive-date=2020-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020226/https://www.newsweek.com/people-share-melania-trumps-anti-bullying-best-slogan-after-president-mocks-teenager-greta-1476935|url-status=live}}][{{cite news|title=Chris Cuomo: GOP protected Barron Trump, why not Greta Thunberg?Video|url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/12/13/chris-cuomo-closing-argument-donald-trump-greta-thunberg-attack-cpt-vpx.cnn|publisher=CNN|access-date=2019-12-13|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214459/https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/12/13/chris-cuomo-closing-argument-donald-trump-greta-thunberg-attack-cpt-vpx.cnn|url-status=live}}] Several media outlets noted that Melania Trump criticized legal expert [Pamela Karlan](/source/Pamela_Karlan) the previous week after Karlan had mentioned the Trumps' teenage son, Barron, during testimony as part of the then ongoing [impeachment inquiry](/source/Impeachment_inquiry_against_Donald_Trump).