First Lady Melania Trump charged the media to boost coverage of lives lost and that could be saved from the opioid crisis to at least the level devoted to “idle gossip” and “trivial stories.”
Mrs. Trump is on a two-day travel swing promoting her Be Best initiative that took her to Las Vegas, Nevada, Tuesday for an opioid town hall.
“I’d also like to take a moment to challenge the media to cover this very real issue as often as possible,” the first lady proposed. “In 2017, we lost at least 72,000 Americans to overdoses—that’s 197 lost American lives per day – more than eight lost lives per hour.”
“I challenge the press to devote as much time to the lives lost – and the potential lives that could be saved – by dedicating the same amount of coverage that you do to idle gossip or trivial stories,” she said. “When we see breaking news on TV, or the front pages of newspapers – it is my hope that it can be about how many lives we were able to save through education and honest dialogue.”
“We all have a real opportunity to help this country save lives, and I know these are the real issues that people care about,” she said.
The crowd gave first lady Trump a standing ovation for her remarks at the International Theater at Westgate Las Vegas Tuesday. She followed her remarks responding to questions from host Eric Bolling and from social media.
Bolling and wife Adrienne lost their son to opioids, a fact that the first lady acknowledged at the top of her remarks, commending their strength and using their “profound loss to help” and inspire others. “You honor your son each day by shining a light on this nation’s opioid crisis and by the lives I know you are saving.”
Michelle Moons is a White House Correspondent for Breitbart News — follow on Twitter @MichelleDiana and Facebook
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