US first lady Melania Trump went to Texas to show she cared about migrant children. Her fashion choice carried a baffling counter-message.
She wore a green, hooded military jacket from Zara that read “I really don’t care, do u?” both as she departed and returned to Washington. The words were printed in white, in graffiti-style, on the jacket’s back.
When asked what message her jacket intended to send, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said: “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.”
Photo: AP
Grisham underscored that message in a tweet with the hashtags #SheCares and #ItsJustAJacket.
However, US President Donald Trump offered his own interpretation in a tweet, saying it “refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!”
Melania Trump changed into a pale yellow jacket before the plane landed in McAllen, Texas, for a visit to the Upbring New Hope Children’s Center, which houses 55 migrant children. Yet even after questions arose about her attire, she was back in the green jacket when she returned to Washington in 26.7°C weather.
Like it or not, her jacket had her trending on Twitter. One user borrowed an image of the back of the jacket to promote groups working on behalf of immigrant children.
Spanish-based company Zara had no comment on the uproar. The jacket belongs to the company’s spring-summer 2016 season.
The youthful jacket sharply contrasts with the first lady’s typically bold, foreign-flavored wardrobe.
In public appearances, she has worn designs by Dolce & Gabbana, Del Pozo, Christian Dior, Emilio Pucci, Givenchy and Valentino, often with daringly high Christian Louboutin heels.
It is not the first time her fashion choices have caused a stir.
Last August, a pair of Melania Trump’s signature spike heels earned her a round of bafflement as she boarded Air Force One bound for Texas to tour the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey. She had changed into white sneakers by the time she and the president landed.
At one of the 2016 presidential debates, she wore a pink silk blouse with a large bow at the neck, long known as a “pussy bow blouse.”
That was just days after reports surfaced that her husband had made lewd remarks years earlier about grabbing women by the genitals.
On the other side of the political aisle, former US first lady Michelle Obama routinely caught grief from some critics for going sleeveless.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was