During the Biden Administration, the annual presentation of the International Women of Courage Awards once made headlines when one of the 11 honorees, in 2023, was a trans woman.
The first such presentation in the second Trump era took place Wednesday, and the honors were presented by First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The honorees included human rights activist Henriette Da of Burkina Faso, survivor advocate Amit Soussana of Israel, antiviolence activist Major Velena Iga of Papua New Guinea, anti-poaching activist Angelique Songco of the Philippines, human rights activist Georgiana Pascu of Romania, women’s rights leader Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit of South Sudan, journalist Namini Wijedasa of Sri Lanka, and activist Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj of Yemen.
“These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world,” the First Lady said, per Axios. The honorees were women “who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership — often at great personal risk and sacrifice.”
My god is she creepy. pic.twitter.com/aTRLSo74X3
— Lawyers, Guns and Money (@LawyersAnd) April 2, 2025
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“Throughout my life, I have harnessed the power of love, as a source of strength during challenging times,” the First Lady added. “Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy, and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles.”
Quite a few people had incredulous reactions to that particular part:
“In the face of unforeseen obstacles” pic.twitter.com/HGhxdflrQw
— Lou Sassle (@LouSassle716) April 3, 2025
Melania doesn’t know how to pronounce empathy much less feel it. https://t.co/TdkLXm30r9
— mija (@MelFmHell) April 2, 2025
“Empathy” “valor” “obstacles””illustrated”. Melania should have picked simpler words. But when you plagiarize Michele Obama, that’s the risk you take. pic.twitter.com/dOvLgKwvo9
— Ed Leigh 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 (@EdLeigh8) April 3, 2025
Speaking of empathy, speaking at the Democratic National Convention last year, Melania Trump’s former chief of staff Stephanie Grisham stated that Donald Trump has “no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.”
As pointed out by The Independent, the First Lady spoke of empathy and “the power of love” while her husband continued to carry out his campaign of mass deportations.
“The first lady also spoke of championing education, despite how last month the president ordered the closure of the department of education. Melania added that the recipients taught that while ‘courage drives us forward, it is love that lays the groundwork for lasting impact, each act of love can spark a ripple of transformation,'” the newspaper said.
Photo courtesy of X screenshot.
