The president and first lady first met in 1998 and have since become one of the world’s most famous couples.

But some critics claim Donald Trump isn’t good enough for his wife — and now he’s firing back.

Stealing the spotlight

There’s no doubt Donald Trump likes to be in the spotlight — and now he’s sent a sharp, unmistakable message to anyone who seems to prefer listening to his wife, Melania, instead.

The exchange occurred during a White House event on November 13, where the president was present to sign an executive order on foster care. The event began with Melania speaking about her work to support children aging out of the foster care system.

The new Fostering the Future executive order will create an online hub to provide foster children with educational and career resources. It also includes vouchers and grants to help support them as they transition into adulthood.

Melania highlighted the importance of the initiative:

”This executive order, Fostering the Future for American children and families, gives me tremendous pride. It is both empathetic and strategic. It will certainly be impactful. It aims to establish a comprehensive network connecting federal departments and agencies, private sector businesses, higher learning institutions and charitable organizations.”

Trump’s 7 words

When it was his turn at the podium, Trump praised his wife’s abilities, noting her impressive linguistic skills.

”I think that’s pretty amazing. I can’t – I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it,” he said, referring to her fluency in at least five languages.

Trump also acknowledged that his own speeches sometimes don’t receive the same warm response as Melania’s, joking about the dynamic between them:

”Our country is truly blessed to have this magnificent and very caring first lady. They love her,” he said. ”Every time I get up and make a speech, they say we want our First Lady. I say what the hell, I’m not good enough?”

After his remarks, Trump signed the executive order and invited Melania to sign it as well, an unusual move for a first lady.

Trump also said he was “delighted” to sign the initiative and highlighted that Second Lady Usha Vance had also played an active role in supporting Melania Trump’s efforts.

“We’re going to have absolutely incredible results,” the president added.

The $25 million budget allocation she had championed will help subsidize housing and provide other support for foster children as they leave the system.

The harsh reality

The U.S. Department of Education reports that around 400,000 children and young people are in foster care at any given time, with roughly 20,000 aging out of the system each year.

Just a half of all foster children graduate from high school, only three percent go on to earn a college degree, and one in five will experience homelessness after leaving the system. Additionally, only about 50 percent will have stable employment by age 24.