Melania Trump has served as First Lady, she hasn’t said much. She’s given fewer speeches than her predecessors and rarely chooses to speak publicly. She doesn’t tweet or Instagram with any real regularity. For 24 days this spring, the public thought she was missing.
When she does speak, it’s through increasingly defensive comments offered by East Wing communications director, Stephanie Grisham. But mainly she has been the taciturn wife at her husband’s side, leaving onlookers to read her thoughts onto her.
And so many have gone very far to give her the benefit of the doubt. The current crisis at the border, where 2,000 or so migrant children have been separated from their parents by Trump administration policy, offered yet another opportunity earlier this week.
When the First Lady made a statement even slightly critical of the forced separations on Sunday, plenty of observers hailed it as a solid piece of criticism hurled from within Trumplandia itself. “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform,” her spokeswoman said. “She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”
That generous Melania narrative officially met its end on Thursday, of causes related to fast fashion. While boarding a plane to McAllen, Texas, to tour a detention center housing 55 migrant children, the First Lady wore a jacket from Zara that said on the back “I Really Don’t Care. Do U?” Large swaths of the Internet immediately seized on the wardrobe choice, parsing it for motive.
Melania Trump walked alongside her 12-year-old son Barron as she and her family made their way to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for a weekend getaway ahead of the Fourth of July.
The 48-year-old first lady and President Donald Trump were joined by her mother Amalija Knavs, his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and grandson Joseph as they walked across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One on Friday.
The family was flown to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where they boarded Air Force One for their flight to New Jersey.
It comes as Ivanka claims she was a key player in the discussions which led to her father's decision to end his zero tolerance immigration policy, and days after Melania was slammed for wearing 'I really don't care, do u?' jacket as she flew Thursday to visit children separated from their families at the Mexico border.
Melania Trump wore beige and red from head to toes as she and her husband departed for Europe on Tuesday.
The first lady, 48, stood on the South Lawn of the White House as President Donald Trump, 72, spoke to reporters before boarding Marine One for a week-long trip on the other side of the Atlantic.
She wore a $975 long, beige safari skirt by Martin Grant tied at the waist by a belt, which she paired with a quarter-sleeved red sweater with a round neckline.
Melania Trump showcased three incredible outfits throughout her second day in the UK, including a striped dress by British designer Victoria Beckham in the morning and a British Burberry jacket as part of her final look ready for her arrival in Scotland with her husband.
The 48-year-old first lady looked much more ready to enjoy a weekend in the Scottish highlands, having changed out of the elegant pale Dior suit she wore to enjoy afternoon tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle, in favor of a much more casual quilted khaki jacket and a pair of beige trousers.
Ever a fan of adding some glamour to even the simplest of looks, Melania made sure to maintain some fashionable flair in the form of a chic silk neck scarf, large sunglasses, and - of course - her trademark nude high heels; she also carried a high-priced brown Hermes Birkin bag in her left hand.