FASHION STATEMENT

Melania Trump Claims Her Controversial ‘Really Don’t Care’ Jacket Had a Hidden Meaning

The former first lady says it was a “discreet yet impactful” protest.

Melania Trump claims the jacket that caused an uproar when she wore it during a visit with migrant children detained at the southern border had been intended to send a message to the media, according to The Guardian. The newspaper, which has obtained an advance copy of her forthcoming memoir, reports that the former first lady says she wore the garment emblazoned with the phrase “I really don’t care, do U?” as a protest against reporting which relies on anonymous sources. “I was determined… not to let the media’s false narratives affect my mission to help the children and families at the border,” Trump reportedly writes. “In fact, I decided to let them know that their criticism would never stop me from doing what I feel is right. To make the point, I wore a particular jacket as I boarded the plane, a jacket that quickly became famous.” She further claims she instructed her then-press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, to inform the media she’d worn the jacket “to let them know I was unconcerned with their opinions of me,” but claims Grisham insisted on claiming it had no significance. In her own book, Grisham wrote it was Donald Trump, not Melania, who came up with the idea of construing it as a message to the media.