Melania Trump wore a jacket with the words “I really don’t care, do u?” as she boarded a flight to visit migrant children separated from their families, setting off a series of contradictory explanations from White House officials and the president himself.
The first lady’s spokeswoman denied any "hidden message” in the outfit. But U.S. President Donald Trump said the jacket "refers to the Fake News Media.”
“Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!” Trump tweeted Thursday.
The first lady wore the jacket in Maryland as she boarded a flight en route to visit a group of migrant children in Texas. The words are spelled out in white, graffiti-style lettering across the back of the jacket, which retailed for $39 at Zara.
Hours after reports emerged of the jacket’s message, the first lady wore it a second time when her flight returned from Texas.
The casual, off-the-rack jacket is unlike most of the formal, designer clothing that Trump is often spotted wearing. The first lady is rarely seen wearing anything with an overt logo, let alone large, printed messages.
Trump’s spokeswoman denied that the jacket had any special significance.
"It's a jacket. There was no hidden message,” Stephanie Grisham told the Associated Press.
Melania Trump later visited the Upbring New Hope Children's Center, where she spoke with children and staff. She did not wear the jacket to the event, and opted for a yellow jacket.
In a subsequent tweet, Grisham said the visit impacted the first lady “greatly.”
“If media would spend their time & energy on her actions & efforts to help kids - rather than speculate & focus on her wardrobe - we could get so much accomplished on behalf of children,” she said.
Trump, a former model, is known for her high-fashion looks. On her first trip abroad as first lady to Italy, she sported a $51,500 Dolce & Gabbana jacket with three-dimensional flowers. Last September, she was seen gardening in a red plaid shirt from Balmain that cost $1,380.
Trump regularly sports pieces by designers including Givenchy, Valentino and Christian Dior.
The first lady’s fashion choices have landed her in hot water before. Days after video of Donald Trump making lewd comments about grabbing women by the genitals, Melania Trump wore a pink blouse with a dramatic bow. The outfit is known as a “pussy-bow blouse.”
Her visit comes amid growing outrage in the United States over a policy that separates migrant children who illegally enter the U.S. with their parents. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order ending the separations and keeping families together while in custody.
A website has since been launched for ireallydocare.com, which raises money for 14 different groups to help immigrants.
With files from The Associated Press
