White House Shakeup: Top Melania Aide Vacates White House Position
A former National Security Council aide who worked for first lady Melania Trump has left the White House.
Reagan Hedlund, who joined the East Wing in January as policy director, left last week, Politico reported.
“I am very grateful to the first lady for the opportunity to help launch her policy initiative,” Hedlund said.
“It was a rare opportunity to contribute at such a high level. It was a difficult decision to leave. However, I have decided to return to my roots in the foreign policy world,” she said.
CNN reported that sources it did not name told the network Hedlund was asked to leave because she was not the right fit for the position of policy director.
“She is no longer with our office and we wish her our best,” Melania Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement.
Hedlund had formerly worked for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his years as a GOP congressman representing Kansas.
In recent weeks, the first lady has made public appearances as part of her “Be Best” initiative, an effort that had just started in May prior to the first lady’s hospitalization, NPR reported.
“Her health is paramount because she’s not going to be able to do any good unless she’s completely healthy,” Grisham said last month. “So it definitely slowed things down, but she’s perfectly healthy now, so we’re back in business.”
In late July, Melania Trump visited Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Vanderbilt, Tennessee as part of her “Be Best” to help babies born with drug dependency, called neonatal abstinence syndrome.
#BeBest will continue to bring attention to NAS. A very big thank you to @VUMCchildren & staff for an informative & moving visit. It is a joy spending time w/ such courageous kids & to witness the strength of families who must deal with these tough situations. pic.twitter.com/WuZtjee1EQ
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) July 25, 2018
“My passion is to shine a light on the opioid crisis,” she said then, according to Fox News. “I want to continue to learn and believe in starting early to educate young mothers and children about the dangers of drugs. I believe the more we talk about this, the shame and guilt will go away.”
She also took her campaign for online civility to Microsoft during a visit to its Council for Digital Good, made up of 15 students, Breitbart reported.
I had a wonderful time visiting @MicrosoftIPC & meeting the students on their Council for Digital Good. Thank you students for being leaders & sharing your creativity in the cyber community. #BeBest pic.twitter.com/aSHnu0XYc2
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) July 19, 2018
“To see students taking action and being positive leaders in the digital world for youth is exactly what Be Best is focused on,” she said.
“Peer-to-peer leadership can be one of the strongest influences on our children,” she added. “Using their artistic talents, these students provide unique perspectives on how youth should conduct themselves responsibly online.”
As noted on the White House website, the goal of “Be Best” is “to focus on some of the major issues facing children today” with a focus on “three main pillars: well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse.”
“It remains our generation’s moral imperative to take responsibility and help our children manage the many issues they are facing today, including encouraging positive social, emotional, and physical habits,” the site quotes the first lady as saying.
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