Melania Trump Hosts White House Event to Unveil Barbara Bush Postage Stamp
In the White House's East Room on a rainy Thursday, first lady Melania Trump and members of the Bush family gathered to unveil a US postage stamp bearing the portrait of former first lady Barbara Bush.
Amid the anticipation of the unveiling, Trump, Bush's daughter Dorothy 'Doro' Bush Koch and Judy de Torok, a vice president at US Postal Service, took turns sharing stories chronicling the former first lady's life and achievements.
Bush Koch held back tears recalling moments from her mother's early life. 'Mom was never one to shy away from speaking the truth or taking a stand,' she said. 'With her signature white hair and pearls, she became an icon in her own right, and yet, even as a former first lady, she remained humble and humorous.'
The image on the stamp is Barbara Bush's official White House portrait, which currently hangs in the entrance to the East Wing. She is depicted in a black suit and purple blouse, wearing her hallmark triple strand of pearls.
After a commemoration ceremony in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the Bush family compound is located, the stamp will go on sale June 10th.
Bush notably championed literacy programs and helped destigmatized people with AIDS and HIV when she cradled an infant during a 1989 visit to a hospice for children with the disease.
Trump also said she appreciated how Bush inspired people to pursue their personal dreams and was ahead of her time when she made the call for a female American president.
'Who knows?' Trump said. 'Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps and preside over the White House, and I wish him well,' she said to laughs.
Barbara Bush died in 2018 at 92 years old. She was married to President George H. W. Bush. She is the mother of former President George W. Bush.
She was one of only two first ladies who had a child who was elected president. The other was Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams.
And in 2016 — at 90 years-old — Barbara Bush campaigned for her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush when he vied for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the George H. W. Bush library.
She had strong words for Donald Trump — back in 2016 she said in a joint CNN interview with Jeb Bush that she was 'sick' of the current president. 'He's said terrible things about women, terrible things about the military. I don't understand why people are for him, for that reason,' she said at the time.
Melania Trump attended Bush's funeral in 2018 while Donald Trump did not attend. The White House said he stayed away to avoid security disruptions.
Bush is the eighth first lady to be honored with a US postage stamp.
Bush Koch said: 'It's unlikely that mom ever pictured herself on the postage stamp, and it's very likely that she would be wondering what all this fuss is about.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
44 minutes ago
- Arab News
US judge says government must release Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil
NEW YORK: A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration cannot use US foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, but said his order would not take effect until Friday. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting the US secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any noncitizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept US college campuses after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Police detain more than 20 people during Los Angeles protest curfew
LOS ANGELES: Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, officials said Wednesday. But there were fewer clashes between police and demonstrators than on previous nights, and by daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators after five days of protests, which have mostly been concentrated downtown. Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. LA's nightly curfew, which the mayor said would remain in effect as long as necessary, covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). 'If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Mayor Karen Bass said. The tensions in LA and elsewhere emerged as immigration authorities seek to dramatically increase the number of daily arrests across the country. Bass said the raids spread fear across the city at the behest of the White House. 'We started off by hearing the administration wanted to go after violent felons, gang members, drug dealers,' she told a news conference. 'But when you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you're not trying to keep anyone safe. You're trying to cause fear and panic.' Referring to the protests, she added: 'If you drive a few blocks outside of downtown, you don't know that anything is happening in the city at all.' Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in the city, and about half of them have been protecting federal buildings and agents, said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. About 700 Marines will soon join the Guard troops, but they are still undergoing training and will not be mobilized Wednesday, Sherman said. Another 2,000 Guard troops should be on the streets by Thursday, he said. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of drawing a 'military dragnet' across the nation's second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard, which Trump activated, along with the Marines, over the objections of city and state leaders. Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents. The assistance includes some guardsmen now standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue its activities. The change moves the military closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests would be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city 'would be burning to the ground' if he had not sent in the military. Meanwhile in New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby' in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Authorities announce arrests in protests Two people accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during the LA protests over the weekend face charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. No one was injured by the devices. One of the suspects is a US citizen, and the other overstayed a tourist visa and was in the US illegally, authorities said. 'We are looking at hundreds of people,' US Attorney Bill Essayli said. 'If you took part in these riots and were looking to cause trouble, we will come looking for you.' Trump, Newsom locked in a war of words Trump has called the protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' and described Los Angeles in dire terms that the governor says is nowhere close to the truth. Newsom called Trump's actions the start of an 'assault' on democracy. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,' he said. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action, and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom. Los Angeles police detained 200 people related to the protests throughout the day on Tuesday, including 67 who were occupying a freeway, according to the city's chief. The majority of arrests since the protests began have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting and vandalism. At least seven police officers have been injured.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
LA curfew sparks mass arrests; Musk backtracks on Trump feud
In this episode of W News, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, Los Angeles descends into unrest as mass arrests follow a citywide curfew, with police declaring a local emergency to curb looting and vandalism. Karoline Leavitt defends the Trump administration's handling of the protests, saying the National Guard was deployed after local leaders 'failed their citizens.' We'll also unpack Elon Musk's public regret over his posts about Trump, just as the White House praises his apology. Plus, US-China trade tensions ease as both nations agree on a draft deal awaiting presidential approval. We explore Australia's housing crisis, where the average home now exceeds A$1 million, and finally, science confirms 'short-man syndrome' while a Twix ad is banned for promoting unsafe driving. Guests: Dr Elie Al Hindy – Professor of International Relations, American University in the Emirates
