US First Lady Melania Trump has voiced alarm over the dangers of vaping and the high usage of e-cigarettes among America’s youth. She shared statistics showing the growing popularity of e-smoking on Twitter, marking the post with the hashtag “Be Best”.
“Our Administration supports the removal of flavoured e-cigarettes from stores until they're approved by the US FDA [US Food and Drug Administration]”, the first lady tweeted.
However, reactions to her call for raising awareness of vaping were split. Some stood up for those who enjoy exhaling clouds of flavoured steam and the e-cigarette sellers.
Many seemed to insist that the problem of smoking guns is more acute than the spread of vaping.
However, some sided with the first lady, sharing concerns about e-cigarettes.
Slovenian-born Melania Trump, mother of Donald Trump’s 12-year-old son Barron, formally introduced her public awareness initiative called “Be Best” in May 2018. The campaign aims to shine a light "on the many issues facing children today — one of them being the safe and responsible use of social media”.
Although her message likely came from a good place, netizens weren't exactly cheering her on, especially considering her husband’s reputation as an online bully, as some media outlets have highlighted. Melania Trump has fought back against her critics on several occasions.
During a Family Online Safety Institute conference last November, Melania Trump defended herself against attempts to ridicule her campaign, which is aimed at combatting aggressive behaviour online. She also expressed hope that people would “consider using their negative words as motivation to do all you can to bring awareness and understanding about responsible online behaviour". However, her response to the criticism only triggered another barrage of online roasting.