First Lady Melania Trump made an unannounced visit to the southern border on Thursday morning to visit one of the detention centers housing immigrant children — but it was the jacket she wore while boarding the plane at Joint Base Andrews that has everyone’s hackles raised.
The jacket, according to The Daily Mail, is a $39 Zara piece in military olive green. It has the words “I really don’t care, do u?” emblazoned on the back.
Daily Mail reports that Melania Trump boarded her plane to Texas wearing a jacket that said on the back, “I really don’t care, do u?”https://t.co/SeNGeux5jB pic.twitter.com/owHqTAyPdO
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) June 21, 2018
The immediate reaction was outrage and confusion.
This is very odd. https://t.co/OjzGzlntuf
— Philip Bump (@pbump) June 21, 2018
This is not a joke.
Melania Trump wore a jacket to visit child detention centers that read: “I really don’t care. Do u?”
I’m actually speechless. https://t.co/Ume21zIGra
— Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) June 21, 2018
This can’t be real https://t.co/SnJ2yPy54f
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) June 21, 2018
When your jacket tells the world have you feel… https://t.co/heYK6k3GcN
— Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) June 21, 2018
The Melania jacket thing is another one of those headlines where a casual news consumer would read the headline and assume it is an exaggeration/lie because it’s basically unbelievable.
— Chris Wilson (@realchriswilson) June 21, 2018
There was no sign of the green jacket when Melania deplaned, and she completed her tour of the detention center in McAllen, Texas, in a solid cream-colored jacket.
She visited with the children and border patrol officers, even pausing in the rain to greet and take photos with local law enforcement.
. @FLOTUS in pouring rain – poses for photo with local law enforcement, shaking hands and thanking them. pic.twitter.com/usTFjbbiQg
— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 21, 2018
(RELATED: Media Spends 2017 Attacking Melania Trump)
Just last year, the first lady was dragged for wearing stilettos as she boarded the plane at Andrews en route to tour hurricane ravaged Houston — but by the time she deplaned, she had changed into work boots. She repeated the midair shoe change en route to more than one disaster area, which most interpreted as a silent snub of media — and a few wondered if she was sending the same message with her jacket.
i’ll see your irma stiletto and raise you a fuck you jacket https://t.co/zXgDeMVNjK
— Bridget Read (@bridgetgillard) June 21, 2018
When CNN’s Jim Acosta caught up with her, however, the first lady’s spokeswoman said that sometimes a jacket is just a jacket.
FLOTUS spox confirms Mrs. Trump wore a jacket to visit border kids that reads: “I really don’t care. Do you?” Spox says: “It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe.” pic.twitter.com/Bp4Z8n455G
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 21, 2018