First lady Melania Trump was booed while delivering remarks at a youth opioid awareness event in Baltimore on Tuesday.
Jeers from some members of the audience could be heard as Trump wrapped up a brief speech at the B’More Youth Summit.
Trump was “greeted with some cheers but also a resounding chorus of loud boos, which lasted for about one minute” from the crowd of more than 1,000 middle and high schoolers, according to a press pool report.
Trump issued a statement on Tuesday following the Baltimore event, the Associated Press reported. “We live in a democracy and everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Trump said, “but the fact is we have a serious crisis in our country and I remain committed to educating children on the dangers and deadly consequences of drug abuse.”
Trump has made battling opioid abuse one of the key pillars of her wide-ranging “Be Best” children’s wellness initiative that she launched last year. She’s traveled across the country and visited hospitals and community centers to discuss the nationwide epidemic.
“I hope that the knowledge you gain here will help you tackle the tough decisions you may be faced with, so that you can lead a healthy and drug-free life,” Trump told attendees at Tuesday’s summit.
Trump’s appearance at the opioid event in Baltimore comes months after her husband made disparaging comments about the Maryland city.
While feuding in July with the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who represented the area before his death last month, President Trump tweeted that Baltimore was a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”