Former first lady Melania Trump revealed in her upcoming memoir that false claims about her and former President Donald Trump’s son, Barron, having autism fueled the “Be Best” campaign, an initiative she launched aimed at helping children.
An excerpt from her upcoming book, Melania, reveals details about the aftermath of speculation in 2016 from comedian Rosie O’Donnell in which she tweeted a video that questioned whether then-10-year-old Barron had autism.
“Barron Trump autistic?” O’Donnell asked in the since-deleted tweet. “If so, what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic.”
According to The New York Times on Friday, Melania writes in her memoir that the aftermath of the speculation, which she said led to Barron being bullied online and in real life, fueled her to launch the “Be Best” initiative on the issues of childhood welfare and online bullying while at the White House.
“Barron’s experience of being bullied both online and in real life following the incident is a clear indication of the irreparable damage caused,” the former first lady writes.
In addition, Melania added that she was “taken aback by the resistance I encountered from tech executives” from social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and Snapchat when she convened leaders at the White House in March 2018 to talk about childhood safety online.
“There is one goal to be best, and that is to educate children about the main issues they are facing today,” Melania said announcing the initiative in 2018. “If we truly listen to what our kids have to say, whether it be their concerns or ideas, adults can provide them the support and tools they need to group up to be happy and productive adults.”
Newsweek has reached out to Melania Trump via online email form for comment.
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Meanwhile, O’Donnell, who has long been a critic of the former president, apologized and explained later in a statement on her website that her message was merely meant to raise awareness of an issue that personally affected her family.
“My 3.5 yr old daughter Dakota was diagnosed in September with HFA—high functioning autism,” the comedian said at the time. “I have been immersed in that world/reality since—learning, reading, asking questions. When I saw the anti-bullying video that mentioned Barron, it spoke to the symptoms many ASD kids have, it was educational and informational.”
“This autism subject had nothing to do with Donald. Though I admit he does trigger me in all ways,” she clarified. “I have no ill will for his children—or any children—and if u [sic] knew anything about me, u [sic] would know that.”
In her memoir, Melania clarifies that she was “appalled by such cruelty,” adding that “no apology can undo the harm inflicted upon him.”
“It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband. There is nothing shameful about autism (though O’Donnell’s tweet implied that there was), but Barron is not autistic,” Melania writes.
The book’s release, on October 8, just four weeks before Election Day, comes as Melania Trump has been noticeably absent from the campaign trail as her husband seeks to win a second term.
Until now, Barron, 18, has lived a relatively private life, mostly kept away from the public eye by his family during Trump’s presidency and his 2024 campaign. However, he is now attending New York University (NYU).
