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Politics

Melania Trump wears jacket saying 'I really don't care' before visit with migrant kids

The visit comes as President Donald Trump's administration has separated families that cross the US-Mexico border illegally.

First Lady Melania Trump Visits Immigrant Detention Center On U.S. Border

First lady Melania Trump's wardrobe choice caused a stir on Twitter. 

 Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

First lady Melania Trump drew attention -- and criticism -- Thursday on Twitter when she wore a jacket that read "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" before flying to a migrant children's shelter in Texas.

Images from the Associated Press showed the first lady wore the jacket when boarding a plane at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as she was on her way to Texas to visit the US-Mexico border. She wore the jacket when she boarded the plane, but not when she got off.

The image prompted criticism on Twitter. Walter Shaub, former director of the US Office of Government Ethics, tweeted, "Dear @FLOTUS, thank you for your refreshing honesty."

Activist Linda Sarsour said, "This is just ridiculous. You are a First Lady for Gods sake walking around with a jacket that says 'I really don't care.' This can't be for real."

The jacket is a $39 piece from Zara's 2016 spring/summer collection.

The first lady's visit comes as President Donald Trump's administration has separated members of families that cross US borders illegally, sending thousands of children to holding camps around the country. Images of the separations have powered thousands of tweets and put a face on the story. 

The first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, reportedly responded saying, "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."   

Grisham also took to Twitter, saying: "Today's visit w the children in Texas impacted @flotus greatly. If media would spend their time & energy on her actions & efforts to help kids - rather than speculate & focus on her wardrobe - we could get so much accomplished on behalf of children. #SheCares #ItsJustAJacket."

But many people on Twitter aren't buying the argument.

"I agree that there is no 'hidden message' when the message is PAINTED IN GIANT LETTERS ON THE BACK FOR EVERYONE TO READ," one person tweeted.

"SOMEONE in that operation should have seen th[e] jacket and though 'Hmmm, maybe this is[n]'t the best idea,'" CNN's Chris Cillizza tweeted.

One person noted that the first lady may have picked the wrong day to wear the jacket. "If melania had worn that jacket on almost any other day, the photo would have like 80,000 manual retweets of people just saying 'same,'" the tweet read.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins said on Twitter, "If Michelle Obama or Laura Bush (or any first lady) wore a jacket like that to an event like this, they would have definitely been asked about it."

Donald Trump later tweeted about the jacket, saying it "refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!"

Upworthy's Parker Molloy responded to the first lady's fashion choice by setting up a site called ireallydocare.com, which lets people donate to organizations helping kids who were separated from their families. 

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

First published June 21, 12:45 p.m. PT.
Update, 1:08 p.m.: Adds tweet from Stephanie Grisham. Update, 1:30 p.m.: Adds more reactions from Twitter. Update, 3:25 p.m.: Adds Donald Trump's tweet and information on ireallydocare.com.

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