Melania Trump walked into what should have been friendly territory, only to get a reception organizers apparently wanted nobody to hear.
The first lady was loudly booed Saturday at Louisiana State University’s football game against Alabama in Baton Rouge, according to The Daily Beast, and organizers answered by piping music over the speakers in what appeared to be an effort to smother the jeers.
Melania Trump had come to Baton Rouge to unveil a partnership between LSU and her “Fostering the Future” program, which will pay for scholarships for students at the school who have been through foster care.
She stuck around after the announcement to watch the matchup, and when the big screen introduced her as “Miss Melania Trump,” the crowd’s response started as muted applause before booing swamped it.
The scene came with a heavy dose of irony. LSU players wore her “Be Best” slogan on their helmets and jerseys, and the same message flashed on the big screen while fans jeered. Melania Trump launched the campaign during her husband’s first term, pitching it as an effort to promote children’s well-being and fight cyberbullying.
The $7.2 million scholarship partnership relies on private money that the first lady and LSU lined up to create an endowment. MMR Group Inc., a Baton Rouge electrical contractor, put up $5 million, while other LSU Foundation donors chipped in more than $2 million, The Daily Beast reported.
The booing came just days after Tuesday’s midterms, in a state that should have been a safe landing spot for a Republican first lady. Both Louisiana and Alabama largely avoided the Democratic wave, but The Daily Beast noted Louisiana didn’t escape it entirely.
President Donald Trump waded into the state’s Senate race by backing a primary challenge against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who voted to convict him in his second impeachment trial. Cassidy fell to Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), who went on to face Democratic farmer Jamie Davis.
Letlow is projected to win, but only by a hair, taking 50.9 percent of the vote to Davis’ 49.1 percent. Cassidy, by comparison, cruised to reelection in 2020 with 59.3 percent, while his nearest rival managed just 19 percent.
Whether or not the jeers reflected voters’ frustration after the midterms, the first lady faces a broader image problem, with The Daily Beast pointing out she has the worst popularity numbers of any modern first lady on record.
Her office didn’t immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
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