The White House announced on Sunday that Malia Obama, the President and First Lady’s oldest daughter, will attend Harvard. She will start classes in 2017, taking a “gap year” off between high school and college, as many students do. Malia turns 18 in July and will graduate from Sidwell Friends School this month.
Malia’s parents both attended Harvard Law — after matriculating at Princeton (Michelle) and Columbia (Barack) — but Malia was considering several other Ivy League schools. She visited many on the East Coast last year, causing months of speculation on which she would choose.
As the child of a President, Malia was unquestionably at an advantage when it came to choosing a college. But she is not alone. Many presidential children attended prestigious colleges like Yale (Barbara Pierce Bush), Radcliffe (Caroline Kennedy) and Stanford (Chelsea Clinton). Twenty-three presidential children attended Harvard. Malia is in good company.
Of course, the racists and other nasty haters took to social media to insult Malia and her family. The ignorant bigots proved to the world just how low they can go. These are a few of the comments on the post by my local news:
The comments were much the same over on Twitter:
. @VermontAttorney Crushed it! Blew our entire economy to HELL! Worst ever!
Fuckin Kenyan, pot smoking Mooslim loving commie! #MaliaObama— The_Shit_Craig_Says (@WhenIDrinkAlone) May 1, 2016
Why is #MaliaObama trending? Who cares if she's going to Harvard? She probably won't even have to show up to class like her father.
— Conservative Monster (@redalertnow) May 1, 2016
#MaliaObama deserves a gap year. Being the daughter of the guy who spent 8 years fucking up our country isn't easy
— Lauren (@ljohnson2006) May 1, 2016
So is Malia going to learn how to completely disregard the Constitution at Harvard just like her father? #MaliaObama
— Kou Ursus (@Koursus) May 1, 2016
Let's see what Malia Obama's high school grades and SATs were like and how she got into #harvard. W/ no White House PR help. #maliaobama
— Derek (@derek_manga) May 1, 2016
Twitter is running a non-scientific poll. Looks like the haters are starting to freep it.
Do you think Malia Obama actually earned her way into #Harvard, or was she given special treatment?#MaliaObama
— Daily Tweeted Polls (@_tweetedpolls) May 1, 2016
Here’s the thing: where Malia Obama goes to college is none of our concern. The White House didn’t have to tell us anything. But, like any parents, The President and First Lady are proud of their daughter. Malia got into Harvard based on her grades. Did being the daughter of two Harvard alumni hurt? Probably not. But that, again, is none of our business. Tax money is not paying for Malia’s education. Harvard is a private school. Let me say it again: None of our business.
On the other hand, many of us are proud of the young lady we saw grow up before our eyes. We share in the Obama’s joy and wish Malia all the best. Enjoy that gap year (I see a trend coming) and savor your college years. We look forward to seeing what you become.
Featured Image via Getty Images