Malia Obama has become a popular target for tabloid fodder, leading many to push back against the sudden attention on the former first daughter.
This week, pictures of Barack and Michelle Obama’s eldest daughter sporting a bikini while on a trip with friends spread across the internet, giving a rare glimpse into her private life. That was followed by a report on Monday that uncovered the secret Facebook page she had used after graduating high school and before starting her first year at Harvard University, a page where she frequently took digs at Donald Trump.
Now, many are stepping forward to defend Malia Obama from the newfound attention.
“Malia Obama is a private citizen,” wrote Chelsea Clinton . “No part of her life should be anyone’s clickbait.”
Chelsea Clinton has been a frequent defender of other children of presidents, even pushing back on those reporting on Donald Trump’s 12-year-old son, Barron.
Others joined Clinton in saying that Malia Obama deserves privacy. On Monday, new pictures emerged showing Malia drinking from a bottle of wine at what appeared to be a party. Though the 20-year-old Malia is not yet old enough to legally drink, many people took up her defense, saying that having a drink is quite normal for a college student.
Conservatives: Brett Kavanaugh was just a young boy when he drank too much beer and tried to rape girls in college.
Also conservatives: Malia Obama drinking wine at 20 years old is unacceptable!
— Denizcan S. (@MrFilmkritik) February 18, 2019
Hey y’all. Don’t click on those articles about Malia Obama. Don’t give them the clicks and the revenue. Malia was drinking rosé at a party in Miami. She needs better friends. That’s it. That’s the story. pic.twitter.com/IRtENEdDYX
— April is in Tulum (@ReignOfApril) February 18, 2019
The reports that Malia Obama had a secret Facebook page where she criticized Donald Trump also earned her some newfound praise. Malia had largely been quiet politically, focusing on her students and goals of becoming a filmmaker and not engaging in much activism, but the secret social media page apparently showed a much different side.
In one picture, Malia showed off a series of post-it notes with the messages:
“Donald Trump is President
“This is not normal
“Donald Trump is evil
“Don’t be complacent”
Though the original Daily Mail report on Malia’s secret Facebook page may have been sensational, others stood up for the first daughter and said it would seem quite normal for her to oppose the president who frequently took shots at her father, claiming he was lying about being born in the United States and that he (literally) founded ISIS.
Malia Obama’s secret Facebook account reveals just how much former First Daughter hates Donald Trump https://t.co/aGN3dzgHn8
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) February 18, 2019
The Facebook page even seemed to win Malia Obama some points among the anti-Trump crowd on Twitter, who were happy to see that she was one of them.
Just when I thought I couldn’t adore Malia Obama more… pic.twitter.com/zigoSVZsng
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) February 18, 2019
For her part, Malia Obama has not commented on all of the newfound attention, and neither have her parents.
