It seems that the First Lady can’t take a joke, as she threatened to sue an English school in Croatia meant as a jab to her poor skills in the language.
The billboards featured Melania Trump and the slogan “just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English”. They were removed Tuesday from the Croatian capital after her lawyer threatened a lawsuit.
The billboards were part of a marketing campaign by a private English language school in Zagreb, which tried to persuade Croats to learn English by reminding them of the Slovenian-born U.S. first lady’s personal experience.
But Mrs. Trump did not accept what was apparently meant to be a joke about her English, spoken with a heavy accent. Her Slovenian lawyer demanded that the billboards, showing Melania Trump delivering a speech standing before a fluttering American flag, be immediately removed.
“I’m satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards and (Facebook) ads,” lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar told The Associated Press. “We are still analyzing possible further legal steps.”
Ivis Buric, the Institute’s communications manager, said Melania Trump, who is from Slovenia, was chosen as “the most recognized emigrant to the U.S. from this region.”
Buric added: “In no means is it some kind of political message. It’s ambiguous, and we suppose a conversation-starter, but nothing more than that.”
She continued: “The campaign aims to promote the American Institute as a place to learn English, find out about educational opportunities in the U.S., and participate in American-oriented events.”
Melania Trump, who was born in neighboring Slovenia, hired the law firm to protect her image, which has been linked to cakes, underwear and tourism in her native country.
Ivis Buric also added: “We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the US first lady, it was meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model.”
Buric admitted that the short advertising campaign turned out to be “very successful” because of the wide publicity it received both locally and internationally. She said that the school intends to put up new billboards, this time without Melania Trump’s image.
Trump’s lawyer said that the Croatian school has apologized for the billboards, but they need to publish the statement in the Croatian and Slovenian state news agencies.
Melania Trump was born in neighboring Slovenia as Melanija Knavs. She left Slovenia in her 20s to pursue an international modeling career before meeting Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in New York in 1998.