One Of Melania Trump's Inappropriate Outfits Reportedly Caused Major Tension With Donald
Melania Trump hasn't been immune to an inappropriate outfit or two over the years, but there's one in particular that reportedly really got under her husband's skin. Political watchers will likely remember the seriously inappropriate jacket she wore back in June 2018, which had the phrase "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" written across the back. The then-first lady wore the piece during a trip to Texas, where she was visiting families affected by migrant detention centers.
In the 2024 book "American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden," Katie Rogers, The New York Times' White House correspondent, claimed Donald Trump was seriously unhappy about his wife sporting the item. So much so that he didn't hold back on his wife or her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham. According to Rogers, Grisham "later recalled that Trump summoned the two of them to his office, yelled at them, and then decided that the official explanation for the jacket would be that Melania was speaking directly to the media" (via People).
Grisham — who's spoken about what Melania Trump was really like behind the scenes — previously wrote about the jacket and her tense meeting with the Trumps to discuss it in her 2021 book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in the Trump White House." Back then, she claimed the then-POTUS asked the two of them amid the intense media scrutiny (via Vanity Fair), "What the hell were you thinking?"
There were some mixed messages about Melania Trump's jacket at the time
Melania Trump's green Zara jacket no doubt caused serious controversy all over the world, but there were mixed messages at the time about exactly why she'd worn it. Journalist Julia Reinstein wrote on X, formally known as Twitter, that a statement from the then-first lady's spokesperson claimed that her decision to wear the controversial slogan wasn't intentional and she wasn't trying to give out any messages to the media. Or anyone else, for that matter. "After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe," she hit back. Stephanie Grisham also tweeted about the jacket on the day her boss wore it, writing, "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." Grisham also included the telling hashtags "#SheCares" and "#ItsJustAJacket."
However, Donald Trump clearly wasn't happy with that explanation. He tweeted about the clothing following Grisham's explanation, writing: "[The message] refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!" That social media post seemingly came after his reported crisis meeting with the duo.
Melania Trump had her own take on why she wore the inappropriate jacket
Melania Trump herself spoke out about the controversial jacket four months later. Appearing on ABC News, Trump claimed she'd only intended to wear the jacket getting on and off the plane, not while visiting the children. She also confirmed there was a target for the slogan. "It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. I want to show them I don't care. You could criticize, whatever you want to say, you can say. But it will not stop me [doing] what I feel is right," she said.
But Stephanie Grisham had a different take on what really happened in "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House," the book that made the Trumps nervous. Grisham wrote she didn't know there was a message on Trump's jacket until they were on the plane (via She Knows). After headlines began popping up while they were en route, Grisham recalled Trump suggested they put a cross through the word "don't." But knowing the photos were already out there, Grisham told her not to wear the jacket when she deboarded. Trump didn't take Grisham's advice, though, reportedly believing it would make her look like she "did something wrong." Trump, as we know, ended up wearing the jacket and the two decided to defend her fashion with their "It's just a jacket" strategy.