First lady Melania Trump in a rare tweet responded to Stanford Law professor Pamela Karlan saying she “should be ashamed,” for invoking her son, Barron Trump as the butt of a joke during the House Judiciary impeachment hearings.
“A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics,” Melania tweeted. “Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and using a child to do it.”
A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics. Pamela Karlan, you should be ashamed of your very angry and obviously biased public pandering, and using a child to do it.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 4, 2019
Karla’s joke of Barron came amid questions from Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Texas, to illustrate her point that President Trump can’t rule like a king.
“Kings could do no wrong because the king’s word was law, but contrary to what President Trump says, Article II does not give him the power to do anything he wants,” Karlan said, prompting chuckles across the room. “The Constitution says there can be no titles of nobility, so while the president can name his son Barron, he cannot make him a baron.”
Her remarks prompted a barrage of backlash from Republicans.
“Only in the minds of crazed liberals is it funny to drag a 13-year-old child into the impeachment nonsense,” Trump campaign national press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. “Pamela Karlan thought she was being clever and going for laughs, but she instead reinforced for all Americans that Democrats have no boundaries when it comes to their hatred of everything related to President Trump.”
McEnamy added that Democrats should call out Karlan for her remarks and to personally apologize to the President and his family.
“Every Democrat in Congress should immediately repudiate Pamela Karlan and call on her to personally apologize to the president and the first lady for mocking their son on national TV,” McEnamy wrote.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham called the remark “classless.”
“Classless move by a Democratic ‘witness’. Prof Karlan uses a teenage boy who has nothing to do with this joke of a hearing (and deserves privacy) as a punchline,” Grisham tweeted. “And what’s worse, it’s met by laughter in the hearing room. What is being done to this country is no laughing matter.”
Classless move by a Democratic “witness”. Prof Karlan uses a teenage boy who has nothing to do with this joke of a hearing (and deserves privacy) as a punchline. And what’s worse, it’s met by laughter in the hearing room. What is being done to this country is no laughing matter.
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) December 4, 2019
The comment brought a rebuke from Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz during the hearing, who called the remark “mean.”
“When you invoke the president’s son’s name here, when you try to make a little joke out of referencing Barron Trump, that does not lend credibility to your argument. It makes you look mean,” Gaetz said.
Barron’s older brother, Donald Trump Jr., slammed Karlan on Twitter, saying her statement was “grotesque.”
“How vile of a person do you have to be to attack a 13 year old child on national TV for laughs? Apparently, vile enough to be the supposed star witness for Democrats,” Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter.
How vile of a person do you have to be to attack a 13 year old child on national TV for laughs?
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 4, 2019
Apparently, vile enough to be the supposed star witness for Democrats.
Grotesque. https://t.co/duljFjieWI
Vice President Mike Pence, during an appearance in Holland, Michigan, also slammed Karlan’s comment.
“The impeachment hearings today reached a new low,” Pence said. “I just heard at the hearing today, one of the Democrats’ witnesses actually used the President and first lady’s 13-year-old son to justify their partisan impeachment. Democrats should be ashamed. Enough is enough.”
Karlan later apologized for the remarks about Barron.
“It was wrong of me to do that,” she said, adding that she wished the president would apologize for “things that he’s done that’s wrong, but I do regret having said that.”
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Bridgett
January 8, 2020Hi, just wanted to tell you, I enjoyed this article. It was helpful.
Keep on posting!
Barbara Dotson
December 16, 2019Thank you for following our Preident’s famly!
Barbara Dotson
December 16, 2019I would like to be on your permanent email list.
Bill
December 6, 2019Kathleen,
You are so right on, our First Lady is everything you say plus a strong woman. She is a model icon for young woman and all woman to imitate. We the people see through this charade of non stop attacks and will make our vote count come this November. Thank You President Trump and Melania for all you do for our great country.
KATHLEEN
December 5, 2019It’s so refreshing to have a website that highlights the many positive things about our First Lady — she is a style and fashion icon, a wonderful First Lady and mother, and an established businesswomen. Unfortunately, because of media bias, it is almost impossible to find positive information about her elsewhere . . . .
Diane
December 5, 2019Pamela Karlan is just too ignorant to ‘get it’. She must’ve gotten sucked into socialism at a very early age.
Original Anna
December 5, 2019It was planned between the two women. The congresswoman asked about the difference between a king and a president which has nothing to do with the Constitution. And the second woman answered by dragging an innocent child into the situation. Well, the hate for children in this country by the democrats starts by killing a child as a baby in the womb. We have a president because Washington was asked to be the first king of this country. Washington said “No, he would not be king because it would just be setting up the same gov’t we just had a revolution over. but he would be a president.” His explanation was a president could be voted for and therefore the citizens would choose the president they wanted for the citizen’s moment in time. These democrats need to read history. They also don’t get what “due process” means which is in the Constitution to protect all citizens including the president and yes even congressmen. The Constitution these democrats seem to be reading is the communist constitution of Russia.
Carol Shearin
December 5, 2019Professdor? Karlan is a vile and disgusting human being. To use a 13 year old child in what she presumably thought was so clever makes her look pathetic and immature. Maybe she is so mean because she has been the butt of so many jokes in her lifetime. Face it, just look at her.
Wanda Rodgers
December 5, 2019It is very sad the comment like this had to be done. It is sad the way this nitwit can’t apologize with contrition. A true apology that is done right doesn’t try to take the focus off one’s self but it sorrowful enough to take full blame. Another thing is that this apology abet public should also be private. She needs to apologize personally to the President and First Lady Melania. It should be done swiftly and with contrition. Then the letter needs to go public so all will see the shame of what kind of gravity this represents.
Gene Ralno
December 5, 2019Obviously, democrats hate Trump and his family. They never hesitate to invoke malice, insult, horrible images and so on. As the impeachment progresses, many spotlights will glare on democrats who vote against their president. They’ll be remembered in the 2020 campaigns. I can hear the ballpoint pens clicking now by new GOP candidates who will run against the haters. This impeachment will donate seats to the GOP. Thank you democrats.
Bonnie Jean
December 5, 2019I thank you for letting us know about the First Lady’s Fashion choices. She is a beautiful woman with excellent taste in clothing. Prior to discovering your column, I rarely saw what she was wearing and I like her style. I also like other things that I see here and am happy to see the variety that we have to choose from in the USA.
dorothy
December 5, 2019A minor child should be protected from people like Prof. Karlan. She may have numerous degrees that make her a smug know it
all but she is filled with hate and has no heart and never will. She is a die hard liberal who unfortunately is teaching our children, that is why so many of them are confused.
God Bless The President, Our beautiful First Lady and their family from all the evil emanating from the democrats, liberals and socialists etal.
Bill
December 5, 2019This fake disloyal professor karlan is a joke. How on earth does such a hateful person teach our youth. Our educational system has been hijacked with these hateful demented propagandist. Our public schools and university need a complete overhaul.
Karlan you should be ashamed of yourself for attacking a 13 year old boy. Have you forgotten your part of the party who supported “NO BULLYING TACTICS WILL BE ALLOWED.” You should be impeached instead of lecturing us on the constitution with your twisted and demented interpretation. SHAME ON YOU!!!
JC Nielsen
December 5, 2019“It was wrong of me to do that,” she said, adding that she wished the president would apologize for “things that he’s done that’s wrong, but I do regret having said that.”
THAT WAS NO apology. That was this Loon’s way of taking another pathetic stab at the President. She’s not sorry at all. But as a person, she is the sorriest excuse for one.