‘Out of touch’: Jen Psaki slams Melania Trump’s UN meeting timing following Iran strikes

Psaki blasted Melania Trump for fronting a children in conflict meeting at the UN just days after a strike killed Iranian schoolgirls amid the Iran war
Jen Psaki criticized Melania Trump’s UN appearance amid Iran conflict (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis,@msnow/X)
Jen Psaki criticized Melania Trump’s UN appearance amid Iran conflict (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis,@msnow/X)

WASHINGTON, DC: Jen Psaki sharply criticized Melania Trump as being out of touch after the first lady led a UN Security Council meeting just days after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran. Psaki said the timing made the event seem disconnected from the serious conflict unfolding abroad.

Psaki said the timing of Melania’s UN visit was off, since she talked about children in war zones right after a girls’ school in Iran was hit. “It really shows how out of touch the Trump administration is,” Psaki said, pointing out that the meeting took place just two days after the attack that killed 160 schoolgirls.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 08: Jen Psaki speaks onstage during Jen Psaki in Conversation with Lawrence O’Donnell - Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World at 92NY on May 08, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Jen Psaki spoke onstage during ‘Jen Psaki in Conversation with Lawrence O’Donnell’ at 92NY, May 8, 2024 (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Jen Psaki talked about Melania Trump

Psaki spoke candidly on MS NOW, Thursday, March 6, about Melania's role at a UN Security Council meeting. She focused on the timing of the first lady’s visit amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. “There are so many of them to list, but I just want to start with the first lady, Melania, because we are now nearly a week into a war with Iran that Trump started. And yet, they made this decision."

"I do not know who made this decision. I do not know who kept this thing on the schedule, but she showed up to it, for Melania Trump, the first lady, to preside over a UN Security Council meeting focusing on children in conflict zones,” Psaki said.

First lady Melania Trump presides over the United Nations Security Council at United Nations headquarters, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Melania Trump presided over the UN Security Council at UN headquarters, March 2, 2026 (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

She highlighted the disconnect between the appearance and the reality of the situation. “And yet, there she was presiding over the meeting like nothing had happened,” Psaki continued. “Like, she was some sort of substantive contributor to the administration, and without any seeming reference in her mind to the fact that there was a war her husband started two days ago that had literally killed children.”

After showing a clip of Trump’s speech, which Psaki said lacked substance despite her polished appearance, she commented: “I mean, I am glad your makeup is on point, but presiding over a meeting about children in conflict while 160 girls were just killed in Iran in a strike your husband (oversaw). Well, it is very freaking out of touch.” 

Trump administration faces backlash over Iran strikes

On the other hand, President Donald Trump has been accused of using the Iran strike to shift attention away from the Epstein files. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also faced criticism for saying the media was trying to make the president “look bad” in its coverage of the conflict.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump spoke during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, March 3, 2026 (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump, however, defended the military action, saying it was necessary to protect the US from what he described as a dangerous and radical regime. “Our goal is to protect the American people by neutralizing immediate threats from the Iranian regime, a cruel and dangerous group,” Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social Friday evening.

“Their actions directly threaten the United States, our troops, our overseas bases, and our allies. For 47 years, this regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and carried out relentless violence against our troops and innocent people across the world.”

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