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CNN Hosts Analyze Melania's Decision to Invite Bullied Sixth-Grader Named Trump to SOTU: It's 'Good,' But

February 5, 2019

CNN hosts Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon on Monday shared their thoughts about First Lady Melania Trump inviting sixth-grader Joshua Trump, who has been bullied for his last name, to the State of the Union.

"I hate bullies, you hate bullies," Cuomo said. "You have to feel for this kid. My concern, though, about [Tuesday] night is that he's going to be used as a political pawn. That of all the different kinds of bullying that goes on, they're highlighting somebody giving Trump a hard time."

The White House released the list of guests President Donald Trump and the first lady have invited to Tuesday's address. Joshua Trump, a sixth grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, is among those invited. Melania Trump invited Joshua because he has been bullied at school due to his last name.

The CNN hosts speculated that the president and first lady invited the sixth grader for political expediency.

"No one likes to be bullied, and I say good on the first lady for inviting him, but I also see the political pawn thing, you know? I don't know. I hope that they're not using it for political expediency," Lemon said.

"No, I'm just worried about the kid because he's got enough trouble, you know?" Cuomo said. "His family is letting him go out there to hopefully empower him and give him confidence in himself. And now if he becomes representative of the president – you don't want to put that on somebody, let alone this kid."

Lemon then appeared to suggest Joshua's parents shouldn't have let him go and receive all this attention because he will be bullied more.

"That's where I was going," Lemon said in agreement. "If they really don't want to draw attention to his last name and keep him from being bullied, maybe it's not the best thing for him to go to the State of the Union and get all of this press. The parents can decide that. But, I think it's a good thing that the first lady invited him, and let's hope it all works out for good for this kid."

Cuomo said the first lady is in a difficult position because she married a bully.

"Look, she's in a jam. She wants to address something that needs to be addressed. The problem is, she's married to one. I mean, he has bullied in this office the way we've never seen," Cuomo said.

"If there's a lesson in this for anyone, it's beyond the kid; it's for this president. Maybe this president has something to learn from a 12-year-old sixth-grader," Lemon said. "Maybe he'll see the error of his ways and he'll stop calling people names and making fun of them. Because this kid knows how it feels firsthand to be bullied, and maybe the president can learn from that."