After being in the White House for more than a year, First Lady of the United States Melania Trump officially announced her first initiative, Be Best, on May 7. Be Best is a program for American children that promises to target the opioid crisis, improve overall well-being, and eradicate cyberbullying through a singular haphazard agenda. These three goals are described as the pillars of her program, but their link to one another is unclear. Mrs. Trump has essentially stated that “healthy living, encouragement, kindness, and respect” will prevent online bullying as well as drug addiction, a rather unsubstantiated argument.
According to Mrs. Trump, Be Best will help educate children on how to live healthier, kinder, and happier lives. Given the vague and over-optimistic nature of the initiative, in addition to the nonsensical convergence of the three goals, Be Best seems already guaranteed to fail. The sloppy initiative will barely serve Mrs. Trump’s ego, much less the children that need help.
The program was poorly received by the general public. Among other criticisms, the awkwardness of the phrase “Be Best” was noted. Why not “Be Better” or “Be the Best?” While the name itself is poorly phrased, the connection between the name and the content of the program is also unclear. Be Best supposedly lies atop three pillars, yet references none of them in its name.
Mrs. Trump’s initiative is not only poorly thought out, but also pales in comparison to Let’s Move!, the program created by Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. With dedication, Let’s Move! became a nationwide success for Mrs. Obama. Some of its accomplishments included the implementation of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, the HealthierUS School Challenge, and the creation of MyPlate, among many others. Mrs. Obama held an undeniable drive and passion for her cause. On the other hand, Mrs. Trump barely knows what kind of change she is trying to effect. Let’s Move! originally held five goals and was announced in the middle of President Barack Obama’s first term. To some extent, these goals were vague and open to interpretation such as “increasing physical activity” and “creating a healthy start for children.” Still, these goals clearly related to one another. If Be Best adopts more harmonic and logical goals, it may be more capable of achieving success.
At the present moment, Be Best is destined for failure. It lacks a cohesive agenda, a driven leader, or real purpose. These problems are theoretically fixable, but they are unlikely to be properly addressed under the care of Mrs. Trump. The opioid epidemic isn’t easily fixed or prevented by a mere discussion. In fact, the opioid crisis seems to have been lazily tacked onto Be Best, unrelated to the other goals in any way. While focusing on improving social media for children is undoubtedly a valid idea, the presence of Mr. Trump’s Twitter account directly contradicts any interest in ameliorating social media etiquette.
Be Best claims that its mission is “to focus on some of the major issues facing children today.” This utter and appalling lack of direction and purpose exemplifies the self-serving nature of the program. What will Be Best accomplish in the remainder of Mr. Trump’s term? Given its rocky start, most likely very little.
