KEY POINTS

  • Melania Trump will accept the Women of Distinction Award next month
  • The FLOTUS doesn't qualify for the award
  • Donald Trump's wife shouldn't be given the Women of Distinction Award 

Melania Trump will be given a Women of Distinction Award next month. However, reports revealed that the FLOTUS didn’t necessarily qualify for the recognition.

According to Political Flare, Palm Beach Atlantic University’s 28-year-old tradition of giving the award to two local women with active ties to the community and the charities had to be tweaked to accommodate Donald Trump’s wife’s qualifications.

The publication also revealed that one of the chairwomen in the nominating committee for the award is a club member at Mar-a-Lago, A resort that is owned by the POTUS.

Eileen Burns, the Mar-a-Lago member, and event co-chair released a statement praising the FLOTUS and explaining which she was chosen to receive the distinction this year.

“Our first lady is an exquisite human being, a magnificent wife and life partner, a superb mother and an outstanding first lady, who represents us brilliantly in the United States and worldwide. Melania is a perfect example of a Woman of Distinction and we are most proud to honor her,” she said.

The FLOTUS’s Be Best campaign was cited as one of the reasons why the first lady was given recognition. The initiative centers on children’s well-being, social media use, and the opioid crisis.

However, Melania was criticized for her inability to stand up to her husband especially when he tweets, mocks, and name-calls his opponents. Kyra Kinnaman, a graduate of PBAU, wrote a letter to the committee questioning why the FLOTUS was chosen for the award.

“I also hope that others add to this discussion because selecting Trump as the 2020 Woman of Distinction is a misguided, embarrassing choice at best and a calculated, amoral choice at worst,” Kinnaman wrote.

Political Flare journalist Jason Miciak also said that Trump’s wife is one of the first ladies that hasn’t done much during her husband’s administration. And the fact that Melania will be receiving the award alongside another woman is seen as an attempt to detract from the first lady.

FLOTUS Melania Trump visits military children
First Lady Melania Trump interacts with Ilana Jordan, an Imagine Andrews student, at the youth center on Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sept. 15, 2017. The facility offers various programs such as before and after school care, social recreation, sports and fitness and instructional programs for more than 800 children. Photo by Senior Airman Jordyn Fetter/U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Jordyn Fetter/U.S. Air Force