BERWYN, Pa. — Melania Trump said Thursday she would become an “advocate for women and children” if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the nation’s first lady.
In her first campaign speech in over three months at the Main Line Sports Center, Trump said she would work to end bullying on social media, which she spoke about extensively, citing her son Barron and the fragility of children and teenagers.
“I do worry about all of our children,” Trump told the Delaware County crowd. “As we know, now social media is a centerpiece of our lives. It can be a useful tool for connection and communication. It can ease the isolation so many people feel in the modern world. Technology has changed our universe. But like anything that is powerful, it can have a bad side.”
“We have seen this already. As adults, many of us are able to handle mean words, even lies. Children and teenagers can be fragile,” Trump said. “They are hurt when they are made fun of, or made to feel less in looks or intelligence. This makes their life hard and can force them to hide and retreat. 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 or bullied or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground, and it’s absolutely unacceptable when it’s done by someone with no name hiding on the Internet.”
“We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other,” she added.
Reading from a teleprompter, Trump also defended her husband by touting his love for the U.S. and his plans to “shake things up” if elected next week.
“Love for this country is something I shared when I met Donald,” Trump said. “He loves this country and knows how to get things done, not just talk. He certainly knows how to shake things up, doesn’t he?”
“Every time my husband learned of a factory closing in Ohio or North Carolina or here in Pennsylvania, I saw him get very upset,” she continued. “He could see what was happening. He saw the problems and he always talked about how he could fix them.”
Trump said she admired America as a child in the Soviet-run nation of Slovenia, and said America was “the word for freedom and opportunity.” She also paid homage to former President Ronald Reagan and praised his “Morning in America” speech, saying it felt like “morning around the world” and was a “true inspiration.”
“We always knew about the incredible place called America,” Trump said. “America was the word for freedom and opportunity. America meant if you could dream it, you could become it.”
The speech was Melania Trump’s first since she delivered her address in late July at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, which she was criticized for after it emerged that her speech contained passages used by first lady Michelle Obama in her Democratic National Convention speech in 2008. Karen Pence, the wife of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was also on hand as her husband campaigned in Iowa.
