Melania Trump reveals hidden meaning behind her controversial ‘I really don’t care' jacket

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Melania Trump has addressed the uproar caused by the jacket she wore during a visit to migrant children detained at the US-Mexico border in 2018.

The former first lady said the jacket’s bold statement, “I really don’t care, do U?” was directed at media outlets that rely on anonymous sources in their reporting, according to The Guardian, which obtained an advance copy of her upcoming memoir 'Melania'.

Melania Trump says her controversial jacket is a message to the media

In her memoir, Melania Trump wrote, “I was determined… not to let the media’s false narratives affect my mission to help the children and families at the border."

She explained that the media’s focus on her appearance and controversies rather than the work she was doing spurred her decision to wear the now-infamous jacket.

The former first lady wrote that the jacket was meant to communicate her indifference to media criticism.

“In fact, I decided to let them know that their criticism would never stop me from doing what I feel is right,” Melania shared, as per The Guardian.

As a symbol of this defiance, she selected the jacket as she boarded the plane to Texas for her visit with migrant children.

“The jacket quickly became famous,” she acknowledged in her memoir.

Disagreement over Melania Trump's explanation of the jacket

In her memoir, Melania Trump also reveals that she had instructed her then-press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, to tell the media that the jacket was worn as a message to indicate her indifference to their opinions.

However, she claims Grisham pushed back and insisted that the jacket had no significance, a narrative that was widely reported at the time.

This account contradicted a claim made by Grisham in her own book.

According to Melania's former press secretary, it was Donald Trump, not Melania, who suggested the idea of framing the jacket as a message to the media.

Revisiting Melania Trump's controversial moment

Melania Trump's “I really don’t care, do U?” jacket became one of the most talked-about moments of her time as the first lady of the US.

Critics viewed the jacket as insensitive, especially given the context of her visit to children separated from their families at the border, while others speculated about its intent.

With the release of her memoir 'Melania', which is set to release on October 8, she aims to set the record straight on her intentions and the media's role in shaping public perception of her actions.