Melania Trump and her lawyers have hit back at claims on social media that her son Barron
has autism
After a recent publicity rally, one YouTube blogger claimed that Melania Trump’s son Barron could have autism. The YouTuber, on the autism spectrum himself, claimed that the way Barron clapped was a telltale sign of autism.
After Melania Trump had
watched
the
video,
she instructed her lawyers to try and have the video removed, but it had already spiraled out of control. The video rapidly spread around the globe via social media sites, where several celebrities jumped on board. Rosie O’Donnell jumped on to the video linking it via Twitter and saying “Barron Trump
austistic
? If so, what an amazing opportunity to bring to the autism epidemic”. Whether she meant only to highlight the
autistic
cause
or was trying to take a swipe at longtime
nemesis,
Donald Trump is unclear. Her
own
fans turned on her, forcing her to issue several statements trying to rectify what she meant.
The YouTuber who started the viral video later claimed on Gossip Cop he wasn’t trying to put down Barron, only help defend him against what he saw as bullying from the media. He later removed the video, but by then it had already gone viral, spreading around the globe.
This video, like many others, only proves the power which social media and celebrities have to not only highlight causes for positive
reasons
but also damage them, whether unintentional or not. When we share video and photos via social media, we have very little control over what happens to them, and the message which other people take from them.
Highlighting an important cause of autism is vital, but text, photos, and videos can be misinterpreted very easily.