First Lady Angers AHCA Opponents With Tweets From Recent Hospital Visits

Amid the revised Congressional Budget Office’s estimate that the pending American Health Care Act will cause 23 million Americans to lose all coverage by 2026, Melania Trump, likely with the best intentions, took to Twitter to share her thoughts and prayers for a sick child she visited.

There’s no reason for anyone to believe Melania Trump had any input on the health care bill or the decision to “repeal and replace,” but her proximity (however tenuous) to the Trump White House, made her tweet a very obvious and unfortunate target amid the upheaval surrounding the legislation.

While Twitter responses were mixed, many pointed out what they perceived as the glaring hypocrisy in promoting your compassion for one child while proximate to those tacitly harming so many others affected by the AHCA.

While it’s unlikely to shift any perceived blame or vilification, it warrants mentioning that this tweet was sent just a few hours after Melania and the first family, Trump included, met with Pope Francis, who, in addition to being a religious leader, has been outspoken that health care is a universal right, not a privilege, for all people.

It’s unclear whether the tweet was a strategic missive, as the trip to visit the boy was conducted just prior to the tweet’s time stamp, yet it appears to be one of several hospital stops for Melania, who earlier today tweeted about her trip to another hospital, Queen Fabiola University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium.