Acclaimed actress Meryl Streep took a walk down memory lane and raised questions about First Lady Melania Trump’s outfit while visiting a migrant children’s shelter in Texas in 2018.
The former model wore a green Zara jacket with a message on the back in white letters that said: “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?”
The mother of one, known for her fashion sense, wore the $39 jacket that looked fancy and stylish because of its shiny finish and bright color. Meryl Streep questioned whether the message was appropriate in a recent interview, especially considering the First Lady’s public image.
According to USA Today, the award-winning actress spoke alongside Anna Wintour for Vogue’s May cover story and pointed out how female political figures across history have continued to make a statement through their fashion choices.
“I have so many thoughts about this,” Streep said, highlighting that the jacket sent a powerful and controversial message given the sensitive context.
The Devil Wears Prada actress said that while fashion choices are mostly personal and about self-expression, public figures also have to follow long-standing expectations.
“All dress is about expressing yourself, but we’re also subject to larger historical and political sweeps of expectation,” the Oscar winner added.
According to TMZ, White House spokesperson Stephanie Grisham released a statement saying there was no hidden meaning behind the message on Melania Trump’s jacket.
“It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe.”
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However, Donald Trump later said that the phrase “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” was a direct response to the media criticism that MAGA supporters have faced.
An online user on X commented on an article about the jacket, writing, “Zero class Zero.” Another added, “She’s definitely sending a message! She can’t be that ‘tone deaf.’ Terribly sad.”
Later in the interview, Streep suggested that women in positions of authority are often expected to expose their arms on television while men remain fully covered in suits or shirts and ties.
She claimed that women in power often carry a sense of anxious apology on how they presented themselves while being subjected to prolonged and extreme media scrutiny.
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According to the veteran star, the feeling stems from the rapid progress women have made over the past decades, which can feel unsettling to society.
As a result, women may unconsciously try to appear less intimidating and associate being weak with being socially accepted. She acknowledged how she found former First Lady Michelle Obama, New York City Mayor Zoharan Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, retains her individual style despite receiving a series of mixed reactions.
“I’m full of admiration for New York City’s new first lady because she looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage, young, modern and also entirely herself,” Meryl Streep added.
Donald Trump came into power along with Melania Trump as First Lady on January 20, 2017, when he was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. The couple re-entered the White House after Trump was re-elected as the 47th president on January 20, 2025.
While several big-shot names, paparazzi, and public officials of the White House were in attendance during the inaugural ceremony, fashion experts had their eyes on Melania Trump’s outfit.
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She wore a sharply cut black outfit with spiked heels, but what stole the spotlight was Melania’s big, wizard-like hat, which received a series of mixed reactions from online users. Some early reactions by netizens pointed out that the hat appears to serve as Donald Trump’s shield, while others called it “inappropriate.”
Even Trump joked about her hat after the inaugural ceremony. “With the hat that she’s wearing, she almost blew away,” Donald Trump said. “She was being elevated off the ground,” he added.
