Melania Trump Wears "I Really Don't Care Jacket" to Visit Immigration Children's Detention Facility
"Do u?"
Update, 6/21, 7 p.m.: In the midst of backlash over her now-infamous "I Really Don't Care. Do u?" Zara jacket, Melania Trump inexplicably... put the jacket back on upon returning from Texas. As Melania de-boarded the plane in Maryland and got into a waiting car, she can clearly be seen wearing the jacket.
Original post, 2.30 p.m.:
In a The Onion-style moment, Melania Trump boarded a plane to visit immigrant children apparently wearing a jacket that said, "I Really Don't Care. Do u?" according to The Daily Mail. The jacket she appeared to be wearing is $39 from Zara, as pointed out by the Mail, and the First Lady had seemingly removed it by the time she landed.
Melania wore the jacket both before and after she boarded a plane en route to Texas, where she visited an immigrant children detention facility. There, she spoke to officials and assembled press about the children who have been separated from their parents due to White House policy, saying, “I would also like to ask you how I can help these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible.”
The jacket stands in stark contrast to that statement, although it's worth mentioning that the First Lady didn't wear it in Texas or anywhere close to the immigrant facility. Still: Melania must have known where she was going when she put on the jacket and boarded the plane.
Whether it was intentional or not, the message comes at a time when the White House is being roundly criticized for, well, really not caring about immigrant children. More than 2,000 children have been separated from the parents and detained in what has been dubbed "tent cities." Some have been housed in literal steel cages.
According to ABC correspondent Meridith McGraw, the First Lady's spokesperson had this to say: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope this isn't what the media is going to choose to focus on."
Later this afternoon, however, Trump tweeted that Melania's jacket was actually an attack on the mainstream media.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
But the jacket's literal message is...difficult to miss. Just ask Twitter.
The First Lady's snafu comes after days of outrage over the White House policy that allowed children to be torn from their parents, and follows similarly tone-deaf social media postings from both Ivanka and Vanessa Trump.
Melania also allegedly told the children she met at the detention camp "Good luck," before she left, according to New York Times reporter Katie Rogers. Another unusual facet of her visit to Texas is that Melania was wearing what's dubbed "fast fashion," a.k.a. a relatively affordable item from Zara—which is unusual for the First Lady, who typically wears luxury designer clothing.
On Wednesday, the president signed an executive order that will allow more families to remain together while being detained—but critics are already asking what will happen to the 2,000 kids taken from their parents and dispersed across the country. Most do not speak English.
If you actually want to help immigrant children, you can do so here.
RELATED STORIES
Jenny is the Digital Director at Marie Claire. A graduate of Leeds University, and a native of London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She was the first intern at Bustle when it launched in 2013 and spent five years building out its news and politics department. In 2018 she joined Marie Claire, where she held the roles of Deputy Digital Editor and Director of Content Strategy before becoming Digital Director. Working closely with Marie Claire's exceptional editorial, audience, commercial, and e-commerce teams, Jenny oversees the brand's digital arm, with an emphasis on driving readership. When she isn't editing or knee-deep in Google Analytics, you can find Jenny writing about television, celebrities, her lifelong hate of umbrellas, or (most likely) her dog, Captain. In her spare time, she writes fiction: her first novel, the thriller EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, was published with Minotaur Books (UK) and Little, Brown (US) in February 2024 and became a USA Today bestseller. She has also written extensively about developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia, which she was diagnosed with when she was nine.
-
Taylor Swift Sweetly Dishes on Travis Kelce With a Young Swiftie at Children's Hospital
"I like Travis now," the fan shared.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
I Found the Most Luxe Beauty Stocking Stuffers Your Friends Actually Want
Beauty editor-tested and approved.
By Ariel Baker Published
-
32 Great TV Shows That Capture What We Love About Our Closest Friendships
Watch these with your bestie (or when you miss them).
By Katherine J. Igoe Published
-
36 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to Men
It's just one of the many ways women still aren't equal to men.
By Brooke Knappenberger Last updated
-
How New York's First Female Governor Plans to Fight for Women If Reelected
Kathy Hochul twice came to power because men resigned amid sexual harassment scandals. Here, how she's leading differently.
By Emily Tisch Sussman Last updated
-
Why the 2022 Midterm Elections Are So Critical
As we blaze through a highly charged midterm election season, Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy highlights rising stars who are fighting for women’s rights.
By Tanya Benedicto Klich Published
-
Tammy Duckworth: 'I’m Mad as Hell' About the Lack of Federal Action on Gun Safety
The Illinois Senator won't let the memory of the Highland Park shooting just fade away.
By Sen. Tammy Duckworth Published
-
Roe Is Gone. We Have to Keep Fighting.
Democracy always offers a path forward even when we feel thrust into the past.
By Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland, hosts of Pantsuit Politics Podcast Published
-
The Supreme Court's Mississippi Abortion Rights Case: What to Know
The case could threaten Roe v. Wade.
By Megan DiTrolio Published
-
Sex Trafficking Victims Are Being Punished. A New Law Could Change That.
Victims of sexual abuse are quietly criminalized. Sara's Law protects kids that fight back.
By Dr. Devin J. Buckley and Erin Regan Published
-
My Family and I Live in Navajo Nation. We Don't Have Access to Clean Running Water
"They say that the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Why are citizens still living with no access to clean water?"
By Amanda L. As Told To Rachel Epstein Published