First Lady Melania Trump's Monday statement addressing the Capitol riot has landed her in the center of controversy. Titled "Our Path Forward," the lengthy message marked the first lady's first public remarks since a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol five days earlier, and while Trump said she is "disappointed and disheartened" by the deadly riot, her words were met with little fanfare.
Shared on the White House website early Monday morning, the letter began with Trump offering condolences for the six people who were present at the riot and lost their lives. She then went on to lash out at those who have used the Capitol riot to spread "salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks and false and misleading accusations about me." She did not specify what this comment was in reference to. The first lady also wrote, "I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation's Capitol. Violence is never acceptable."
"I would like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause, and look at things from all perspective," she wrote in part. "I implore people to stop the violence, never make assumptions based on the color of a person's skin or use differing political ideologies as a basis for aggression and viciousness. We must listen to one another, focus on what unites us, and rise above what divides us… Our path forward is to come together, find our commonalities, and be the kind and strong people that I know we are."
For many, though, the statement did little to calm the tensions and encourage peace, with backlash quickly rising online. Many took issue with what they viewed as the first lady making herself out to be "the biggest victim," while others condemned the way in which she listed the names of those who died during the riot, the first lady having listed the names of the two Capitol Police officers last.