Melania Trump Clarifies the Meaning of ‘I Really Don’t Care’ Jacket Worn During Migrant Detention Center Visit

Former First Lady Melania Trump has once again addressed her controversial “I don’t care, do u?” jacket in her upcoming memoir, claiming her press secretary prevented her from revealing the true meaning behind the garment during its initial controversy.

Former first lady Melania Trump addressed the “I don’t care, do u?” jacket she wore on a trip to a migrant detention centre in 2018 in her new memoir. AFP via Getty Images

According to a report by The Guardian, Melania’s jacket, worn during a visit to a migrant detention centre at the US-Mexico border in 2018, was intended as a “discreet yet impactful” message to the media, which had recently criticised her. However, the choice of attire quickly sparked widespread backlash and debate about her intentions.

Trump said the jacket’s point was to send a message to her critics in the media. Getty Images

Upon boarding the plane after the tour, Melania recounted how her then-press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, was inundated with urgent emails from significant media outlets questioning the jacket’s message. “It’s a message for the media,” Melania claimed she said at the time, expressing that she wanted to convey her indifference toward the media’s opinions. However, Grisham reportedly told her she couldn’t know that and instead characterised it as merely a fashion choice with no more profound significance.

The former first lady claimed that then-Whie House press secretary Stephanie Grisham lied about the jacket not having a message behind it. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post

“I disagreed with her insistence that I couldn’t say that,” Melania reflected in her memoir. “Ignoring my comments, she told a CNN reporter she was friendly with that it was simply a jacket.”

Melania expressed frustration that the media frenzy surrounding the $39 jacket detracted from the significant issues, stating it overshadowed “the importance of the children, the border, and the policy change” and exemplified “the media’s irresponsible behaviour.”

Grisham also addressed the jacket controversy in her 2021 memoir, claiming that Donald Trump prompted Melania’s idea to wear the jacket. Grisham recalled that upon their return to the White House, Trump chastised them and told Melania, “You just tell them you were talking to the f–king press.”

Trump wrote in her memoir that her jacket controversy was an example of the “media’s irresponsible behaviour.” X / @MELANIATRUMP

Since resigning as Melania’s chief of staff in 2021, Grisham has become an outspoken critic of the Trump family, further complicating the narrative around the jacket incident. Melania had previously stated in an ABC News interview shortly after the incident that her choice was a protest against the “left-wing media” for their criticism.