Melania Trump called the statewide shortage of infant formula “heartbreaking,” and blamed the situation on “leadership” in her first appearance since leaving the White House.
Pete Hegseth of Fox News talked with the former first lady for a full interview that will air on Sunday.
Hegseth asked for her thoughts on the baby formula problem in a video released on Friday night.
“It’s heartbreaking to see that they are struggling and the food is not available for children in 21st century in the United States of America,” she said.
When asked what was behind the shortages, she pointed the finger at Joe Biden’s administration, saying, “Leadership.”
When Hegseth questioned if she was referring to a lack of leadership, she responded, “Yeah.”
Melania Trump gives first interview since leaving the White House…and it’s on Fox News, of course. pic.twitter.com/2SW1Kftjsi
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 14, 2022
Since leaving the White House in January 2021, the 52-year-old has kept a quiet profile, with only a few sightings by Mar-a-Lago members.
She has dedicated her time to promoting the sale of her digital artworks from the NFT collection.
In January, she rejected a Bloomberg allegation that she was responsible for the purchase of the artwork for $180,000, despite the fact that no one else had come forward.
Her reappearance in the news coincided with the focus on the infant formula disaster.
President Joe Biden’s critics derided his claim that “only a mind reader” could have forecast the current situation, after the leader of one of the four corporations that control 90% of the US baby formula market warned that shortages could endure until the end of the year.
Murray Kessler, CEO of Perrigo, told Reuters on Friday that he expects shortages and increased demand to remain for the “rest of the year.”
To compensate for Abbott’s stoppage in mid-February, Kessler’s plants in Ohio and Vermont are operating at 115 percent capacity, but supply will remain unpredictable for the rest of 2022, according to Kessler.
“We have stepped up and are killing ourselves to do everything we can,” Kessler said.
Perrigo is focusing on four commodities at the request of the FDA: store-brand versions of Similac Pro Sensitive and Pro Advance, as well as Enfamil Gentle Ease and Infant, according to Kessler.
The firm also stated that it is developing alternative formulae.
It also has a smaller division that produces national formula brands like Bobbie.
The closure of Abbott’s infant-formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan, compounded national pandemic-related shortages, leaving big-box stores and supermarkets with empty shelves and worried parents.
Meanwhile, Biden has provoked outrage by suggesting that the problem might be resolved in weeks – the same time frame as the FDA – without providing any additional details on how he expects to address the problem.
He was also criticized for being glib after telling reporters on Friday that predicting the crisis would have required psychic abilities, despite warning bells ringing as far back as summer 2021.
Since August, the nationwide ‘out of stock’ figure has been continuously above 10%, and The Wall Street Journal warned of an imminent catastrophe in January.
Nonetheless, Biden said on Friday that no one could have expected the crisis, which has seen desperate parents scouring stores for the much-needed formula.
The FDA has conducted its investigation, but no date has been set for Abbott’s Sturgis, Michigan, plant to reopen.
On Thursday, the White House proposed measures to alleviate the shortage, including allowing extra imports from Mexico, Chile, Canada, the Netherlands, and France.
On Friday, Biden stated that more formulas will be available in the coming weeks.
Image Credit: Getty
You were reading: Melania says it’s “heartbreaking” the US has no food for babies in the 21st century