Melania Trump finally reveals hidden meaning behind her controversial ‘I don't care’ jacket
The former first lady is setting the record straight on the truth behind her controversial 2018 jacket in new memoir
Melania Trump is finally setting the record straight about her controversial “I don't care” jacket. In 2018, the former first lady's bold fashion move while visiting migrant children at the southern border sparked a major discussion. At the time, she was labelled as “unempathetic” and “tone deaf” for her contentious choice of outfit. Years later, the 54-year-old finally reveals the truth behind it.
Melania Trump reveals hidden meaning behind her 2018 jacket
In her new memoir, the former first lady explained that the slogan, “I really don’t care, do U?” was a protest against media's reporting based on anonymous sources. “I was determined … not to let the media’s false narratives affect my mission to help the children and families at the border,” Melania said in her book, as seen by The Guardian.
Describing the uproar as “just another example of the media’s irresponsible behavior,” she said, “In fact, I decided to let them know that their criticism would never stop me from doing what I feel is right. To make the point, I wore a particular jacket as I boarded the plane, a jacket that quickly became famous.”
Melania went on to glorify her stunt as “discreet yet impactful.” She revealed that shortly after the $39 Zara jacket's debut, her former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham’s inbox was “flooded with urgent emails from top-tier media outlets regarding the jacket.”
When she told her that it was “a message for the media, to let them know I was unconcerned with their opinions of me,” Grisham argued she “couldn't say that.” The former White House press secretary later told a CNN reporter, “It was simply a jacket, a fashion choice with no underlying message,” Melania recalled.
However, Grisham offered opposing views in her 2021 book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House. The 48-year-old alleged that it was Donald Trump's idea to pin it on the press. “You just tell them you were talking to the f***ing press,” the former president allegedly said in a “damage control session.”