Life

Melania Trump Admits Her 'I Don't Really Care' Jacket Was a Message to Critics

"It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. And I want to show them that I don't care."

Melania Trump
Image via Getty/Mandel Ngan/AFP
Getty

Amid mounting criticism of the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy, Melania Trump embarked on a trip to a Texas holding center where undocumented children were being detained. For the trip, she decided to wear a jacket that read: “I Don’t Really Care, Do U?”

Naturally, Melania’s tone-deaf sartorial choice sparked a wave of criticism; however, her team insisted that the outrage was unwarranted.

“It's a jacket,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN. “There was no hidden message.”

Well, it turns out that wasn’t true. During her solo interview on 20/20 Friday night, Melania revealed that the jacket was aimed not at the kids separated from their families, but at her “left-wing” critics in the media.

“I often asking myself if I would not wear that jacket if I will have so much media coverage. It's obvious, I didn't wear the jacket for the children,” she told ABC’s Tom Llamas. “I wore the jacket to go on the plane, and off the plane. And it was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. And I want to show them that I don't care. You could criticize whatever you wanna say...but it will not stop me [from doing] what I feel is right.”

Melania said she was aware of all the negative attention her jacket was receiving, with many outlets and commentators calling the design “insensitive”; however, she admitted that she simply DGAF.

“After the visit, I put it back on because I see how [the] media got obsessed about it,” she explained. “They got so obsessed and I said you know what, that’s what I’m talking about. I would prefer they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear.”

Related Stories

Melania Trump whines
Life

Melania Trump Elects Herself 'Most Bullied Person in the World'

The First Lady says her personal experience with online bullying inspired the "Be Best" campaign, despite her husband being the most powerful online bully ever.

melania trump africa
Life

Melania Trump Says She Doesn't Always Agree with Donald's Tweets

Melania Trump told reporters that she doesn't always agree with Trump's tweets and has told him to put down his phone in the past.

Hannah Lifshutz2866 days ago
melania
Sports

Melania Trump Sides With LeBron James: 'He's Working To Do Good Things'

Donald Trump and LeBron James may be at odds, but Melania Trump isn't siding with her husband. In a statement, the FLOTUS said James is "working to do good things on behalf of our next generation."

Victoria L. Johnson2929 days ago

Stay ahead on Exclusives

Download the Complex App