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Melania Trump has been slammed over this message on the back of her coat

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has taken to social media to explain away wife Melania Trump’s message on her $39 Zara jacket.

Melania's jacket

NOW this is what you call a fashion faux-pas.

Melania Trump has been slammed over an unfortunate choice of jacket on her damage-control mission to visit children displaced by America’s immigration crisis.

Arriving at Andrews air force Base in Baltimore, the First Lady wore a US$39 (A$52) Zara coat with graffiti-style writing on the back, which read, ‘I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO YOU?’

Oh no... Picture: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Oh no... Picture: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Donald Trump offered up his own explanation, saying the jacket’s message was intended as an attack on the “Fake News Media”. Whatever that means.

Mr Trump has long dismissed any news reports he disagrees with as “Fake News”, dating back to his 2016 presidential campaign.

But regardless, people were furious over the jacket:

Evidently someone alerted her to the cringeworthy style choice, because the coat was soon replaced with a cream safari-style jacket and a demure look of blissful ignorance:

Melania Trump had a quick wardrobe switch.
Melania Trump had a quick wardrobe switch.
‘What? What Zara jacket? There was no Zara jacket! Heh, funny word, ‘Zara’ …’
‘What? What Zara jacket? There was no Zara jacket! Heh, funny word, ‘Zara’ …’

It’s also worth noting the offending jacket is an unusual fashion choice for the First Lady, whose expensive designer wardrobe has been well-documented.

Let’s face it, the ugly-ass crumpled hoodie falls short of her usual standard:

Melania Trump is well-known for her love of designer labels.
Melania Trump is well-known for her love of designer labels.
Even without considering the wording, the $39 Zara jacket was a particularly odd choice.
Even without considering the wording, the $39 Zara jacket was a particularly odd choice.
Was it a deliberate choice?
Was it a deliberate choice?

Considering her usual outfit style, you can only wonder if this was a deliberate snub as opposed to a slip-of-the-mind faux pas.

Several social media users shared this view:

But her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said the jacket was not designed to send a message.

“It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope this isn’t what the media is going to choose to focus on,” she said.

The First Lady left the White House quietly on Thursday morning and flew to Texas for the unannounced visit, a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order keeping intact families who cross into the US illegally from Mexico.

The first lady met with officials and employees at the facility, where 55 children aged 12 to 17 are housed. Six of them were separated from their parents upon crossing the border, authorities told reporters.

Mrs Trump’s first stop was the Upbring New Hope Children’s Centre, a department of health and human services-overseen facility.

She was greeted by Upbring CEO Dr Kirk Senske, who said: “We treat them like our own children.”

Melania Trump takes part in a roundtable discussion at Luthern Social Services of the South's Upbring New Hope Children Center in McAllen, Texas.
Melania Trump takes part in a roundtable discussion at Luthern Social Services of the South's Upbring New Hope Children Center in McAllen, Texas.

Mrs Trump asked many questions, seeking assurances that they are being properly cared for.

She was told the children are “usually distraught” when they arrive, but “when they see the environment they start relaxing”, CNN reports.

“I’m glad I’m here and I’m looking forward to seeing and meeting children, but first of all let me begin to recognise each of you and thanking you for all that you do, for your heroic work that you do every day and what you do for those children,” Mrs Trump said.

“I’d also like to ask you how I can help these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible,” she said.

Later, she toured a section of the facility where the children have bedrooms and was told they maintain their own rooms.

She visited a schoolroom at Upbring and chatted with about 20 young girls and boys who had school folders on their desks. She spoke to many individually through a translator, and as she walked out she told them: “Be kind and nice to each other, OK? Nice to meet you.”

TRUMP REVERSES SHOCKING IMMIGRATION POLICY

Donald Trump has signed an executive order early this morning ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the US border illegally.

“We’re going to have strong, very strong borders, but we’re going to keep the families together,” said Mr Trump yesterday.

He cited his daughter and his wife, saying: “Ivanka feels very strongly, my wife feels very strongly about it, I feel very strongly about it. I think anybody with a heart would feel very strongly about it. We don’t like to see families separated.”

Donald Trump has signed an executive order early this morning ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the US border illegally.
Donald Trump has signed an executive order early this morning ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the US border illegally.

He said his order would not end the “zero-tolerance” policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally. The order aims to keep families together while they are in custody, expedite their cases, and ask the Department of Defence to help house families.

Justice Department lawyers had been working to find a legal workaround for a previous class-action settlement that set policies for the treatment and release of unaccompanied children who are caught at the border.

Still, Mr Trump’s order is likely to create a new set of problems involving length of detention of families, and may spark a fresh court fight.

More than 2000 children have been separated from their parents at the border in the past six weeks, and distressing images and audio have emerged of youngsters crying for their mothers and fathers.

World leaders, senior Democrats and Republicans, the United Nations and religious leaders have united to speak out against the damaging policy.

Trump changes his mind on US immigration

— with wires

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/people/melania-trump-has-been-slammed-over-this-message-on-the-back-of-her-coat/news-story/ade26c900f15f0fdc9833ce69f81a09c