In Egypt, Melania Trump backs ‘highly qualified’ Kavanaugh for Supreme Court
US First Lady says she’s glad his accuser was heard; meets with President Sissi before heading to Giza to highlight US-backed preservation efforts during whistlestop five-hour stay
US First Lady Melania Trump voiced her support for her husband’s Supreme Court nominee while in Egypt on Saturday, hours before the Senate was slated to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh despite sexual assault accusations made against him.
“If we’re talking about the supreme court and judge Kavanaugh, I think he’s highly qualified for the Supreme Court,” she told reporters in front of the pyramids of Giza.
“I’m glad that Dr. Ford was heard. I’m glad that judge Kavanaugh was heard [and] that that the FBI investigation was completed and the Senate voted.”
Asked if she believed Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Trump responded “I will move on that.”
First lady Melania Trump says Brett Kavanaugh is "highly qualified" for the Supreme Court. Trump added that she is "glad" Christine Blasey Ford "was heard" pic.twitter.com/xKzU9taGKW
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 6, 2018
“I think that we need to help all the victims no matter what kind of abuse they had, but I am against any type of abuse or violence,” the first lady added
The low-key tour in Egypt has contrasted with the political tumult back home where her husband was set to score a big political win over the weekend after days of acrimonious deadlock inside and outside the Senate over his Supreme Court pick.
In Egypt, tight security was in place across the capital for her visit which comes as security forces face a persistent jihadist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula across the Suez Canal to the northeast.
During her whistlestop five-hour stay, the US First Lady met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his wife, first lady Entissar Mohameed Amer, before heading to the nearby city of Giza to see the pyramids and Sphinx where she highlighted US-backed preservation efforts there.
Thank you Malawi! ???????? ???????? pic.twitter.com/rE03LMNzOZ
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) October 5, 2018
Thank you Ghana! ???????? ???????? pic.twitter.com/d34cqFyRdN
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) October 4, 2018
The US Agency for International Development has been working with the Egyptian government for the past several years on a project to lower groundwater levels to prevent additional damage to the landmarks. Saline content in the water can erode their foundations.
Trump, who is in Africa to promote her children’s welfare program, began her trip in Ghana, where she visited mothers and their newborns, and toured a former slave trading fort.
But her choice of a white colonial-style pith helmet while on safari drew some criticism on Twitter, with one person comparing her look to that of a “colonial administrator.”
After the Ghana visit, she made a brief stop in Malawi where she toured a primary school.
On Thursday, her husband tweeted: “Our country’s great First Lady, Melania, is doing really well in Africa. The people love her, and she loves them! It is a beautiful thing to see.”
Our country’s great First Lady, Melania, is doing really well in Africa. The people love her, and she loves them! It is a beautiful thing to see.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2018
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