Melania Tried to Talk to a Bunch of Teens About the Opioid Crisis, and They Were Not About It

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Melania Trump was loudly booed while speaking to a youth summit in Baltimore about the opioid crisis.

“Thank you to all of the students who are here. I am so proud of you for the bravery it takes to share that you have been strongly affected by the opioid epidemic in some way,” the first lady said, according to CNN, which had a team at the event.

CNN reporter Kate Bennett said this was the first time she’d heard Melania get booed at one of her solo events.

Check that: in my years covering her, this was the first booing of @FLOTUS by a crowd at one of her solo events. https://t.co/Ac9Qgn7TSL

— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) November 26, 2019

The event, the B’More Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness, was held at the University of Maryland Baltimore College’s campus Tuesday and was primarily comprised of middle and high school students. The first lady — who spoke on behalf of her “Be Best” campaign on bullying and drug abuse — was booed for at least a minute during her speech, which lasted approximately six minutes, according to the Guardian. The audience remained noisy and riled up, with a mixture of cheers and boos, for most of the time.

“I am in this fight with you and I am fighting for you,” Melania said during the event, according to the Associated Press.

Melania being boo’d by middle and high school students at the Baltimore Youth Opioid Summit @cnnbrk @CNN @CNNSitRoom @TheLeadCNN pic.twitter.com/iqQKHESEjP

— Matthew Cobb (@matthew_cobb) November 26, 2019

The reaction might have had something to do with her husband’s publicly strained relationship with Baltimore. President Donald Trump called the city a “rat and rodent-infested mess” earlier this year while attacking the late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings.

Cover image: First lady Melania Trump speaks at the B’More Youth Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019, at UMBC in Baltimore. The first lady urged students to avoid misusing drugs, saying that it would make it harder for them to achieve. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun via AP)