Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP/Shutterstock
PresidentDonald Trumppraised wifeMelania Trumpon Thursday amid herfive-day solo tour of Africa, saying, “The people [of Africa] love her, and she loves them!”
But not everyone on the continent has welcomed the first lady with open arms.
As she arrived in Malawi on Thursday, the first lady was met with a crowd of protestors, including two carrying a sign that read: “Welcome to Malawi #NOTASHITHOLE!”, according to the Associated Press.
The hashtag was a reference to President Trump’s remarks in January in which he reportedly referred to some African nations, along with Haiti and El Salvador, as “shithole countries.”
“We will not accept such insults, even from a leader of a friendly country, no matter how powerful,” he wrote on Twitter.
Malawi was the first lady’s second stop on her four-nation tour of Africa.
“I wanted to be here to see the successful programs that [the] United States is providing the children and thank you for everything you’ve done,” Mrs. Trump said.
The first lady arrived in Ghana on Tuesday and has been staying in the capital city of Accra, where she met over tea with Ghana’s first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, at the presidential palace.
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On Wednesday, Mrs. Trump visited Cape Coast Castle, a former slave holding fort on Ghana’s coast.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty
Reflecting on the visit later, the first lady called it “very emotional” and “really something that people should see and experience.”
The first lady will continue on to Kenya and Egypt before returning to Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
“She will spend time with schoolchildren, visit hospitals and do some of the things that tourists do while they are in Africa,” according to Katie Rogers ofThe New York Times. “Why Africa? The White House says she has never been before and has long wanted this to be the destination for her first solo trip.”
source: people.com
