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    1. Celebrity News

    Melania Trump is being mocked online for unveiling her new tennis pavilion during a pandemic

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 9 December 2020 In News

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    (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)
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    Melania Trump is one of the most talked-about people in the world, and from her controversial fashion choices to her rules within the White House walls, she never fails to make viral news.

    From her red gloves baffling the internet and her breaking a New Year tradition to being the subject of a recent sexist joke by her husband Donald Trump and her seeming to disappear, the past year has been all about Melania.

    Unsurprisingly, the past few weeks have been no exception.

    It wasn't her holiday plans or controversially sloganed jackets that made news this week however. Instead it was a tone deaf announcement by the First Lady that angered the internet.

    As the world remains gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, Melania Trump has announced a new project, unveiling the new tennis pavilion.

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    'History continues to unfold at the White House & I am pleased to announce the completion of the tennis pavilion,' Melania announced on Twitter. 'Preserving this historic landmark is vital & I want to thank all who helped complete this project.'

    Unsurprisingly, the internet wasn't happy, coming out in force to question the First Lady's priorities in the current pandemic.

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    ’Thank you for wasting valuable tax dollars when people are in 12 food lines to eat!!!” Posted one twitter user, while another responded to the announcement with: ‘The tennis pavilion. Also FWIW today is Pear Harbor Day. And a day on which we will lose an equivalent number of citizens to the virus as we did back in 1941 to the Japanese. But the pavilion. Right next to the tennis court. Which is the only court safe from Rudy filing an appeal.’

    This comes after a similar incident earlier this year when Melania Trump renovated the rose garden - also amid the global pandemic.

    'Priorities for @FLOTUS!', one user tweeted. 'Spend more taxpayer money on a house that the rest of the county are going to have to fumigate once the Trumps are forcefully removed in 5 months!'

    Another added: 'Millions of Americans are in dire straits and @FLOTUS can't find anything to do but revamp the Rose Garden which is code for funnelling taxpayer money to her friends.'

    The criticism got so loud in fact, that Melania was compared to Marie Antoinette.

    Well, that's that.

    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
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    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

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