First Lady Melania Trump stuns next to Barron at Trump’s inauguration as she steps out of Don’s shadow
Melania Trump took centre stage, and it was her hat that surprised onlookers. Her husband also revealed the fashion pain she was going through for his inauguration. See the photos.
United States
Don't miss out on the headlines from United States. Followed categories will be added to My News.
First Lady elect Melania Trump took centre stage at her husband Donald’s inauguration, wearing a sharply tailored navy and white ensemble, although her choice of a boater hat proved a little more controversial.
The Eric Javitz hat, with a white ribbon, hid her eyes and hindered her husband’s efforts to kiss her.
Video shows President Trump lean in to kiss his wife, but he is unable to reach her cheek due to the large brim.
The hat has divided watchers and sparked various memes on social media, with people suggesting it was a clever choice to keep her husband from getting too close.
Others likened her to the McDonald’s character Hamburglar, who wears a big black hat with a stripe in the middle.
“Meet Melania Hamburglar Trump,” said one user on X.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump said that his wife’s black Manolo Blahnik heels were killing her.
“I shouldn’t say this,” he said. “I’m going to get hell when I say this, but her feet are absolutely aching. You know, those heels.”
Her navy coat dress by Adam Lippes, a New York designer, was seen as a classic choice.
She matched son, Barron, 18, who wore a navy suit and tie and slicked back hair, as they watched Mr Trump take the Presidential Oath of Office.
“The tradition of the presidential inauguration embodies the beauty of American democracy and today we had the honor to dress our first lady, Mrs Melania Trump,” Mr Lippes said in a statement.
“Mrs Trump’s outfit was created by some of America’s finest craftsmen and I take great pride in showing such work to the world.”
Nearby was daughter Ivanka Trump, 43, in an emerald green skirt suit with a matching pillbox hat, along with a black Lady Dior bag, and Melania’s other step children from her husband’s previous marriages.
Designers were clamouring to dress incoming the US first ladyfor this week’s presidential inauguration, in sharp contrast to 2017.
The 54-year-old was inundated with offers from US fashion houses and European couture giants including Versace and Christian Dior – brands which wanted no association with her or her husband Donald Trump in his first term, leaving her to “buy her own clothes”.
“Things are very different this time around. When President Trump was first elected back in 2016, Melania was treated very badly indeed,” founder of the Trumpettes support group Toni Holt Kramer said.
Mrs Trump, who donned a striking Valentino Kiss Print Coat at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral last week, has also confirmed she will be moving back into the White House, where she expects things to be different this time around.
“I will be in the White House,” Mrs Trump told Fox News.
“And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach.
“I feel I was always me the first time as well. I just feel that people didn’t accept me, maybe. They didn’t understand me maybe they way they do now. I didn’t have much support.
“Maybe they see me as just a wife of the president but I am standing on my own two feet, independent. I have my own thoughts. I have my own yes and no. I don’t always agree with what my husband is saying or doing, and that’s OK.”
Mrs Trump, who has inked a whopping $60 million deal with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos for a Prime Video documentary on her return to the White House, said she had settled on new furniture and set aside a room for her 18-year-old son Barron, where she expects the university student will “bring his friends” to visit.
“But my first priority is, you know, to be a mum, to be a first lady, to be a wife. And once we are in on January 20, you serve the country,” she said.
Mrs Trump plans to use her elevated position to promote her anti-cyber bullying initiative Be Best, which struggled to gain traction during her first stint.
She appears unlikely to extend an olive branch to her old foe, Dr Jill Biden, at the inauguration given her refusal to meet with the outgoing First Lady after Mr Trump’s election win in November.
Air safety failures and last minute mistakes that led to deadly crash
A series of critical air safety failures and last-minute errors led to the catastrophic midair collision in the US that led to the deaths of 67 people, say experts and officials. Follow the updates.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds take dramatic step in legal war
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have revealed details of their next move in her legal row with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.