Melania Trump Reveals Why She Wore 'I Really Don't Care' Jacket

In an ABC News interview, the first lady said she intentionally wore the jacket on her way to visit immigrant children.

Melania Trump finally admitted that she intentionally wore a designer jacket with the words “I Really Don’t Care, Do You?” while en route to visit detained immigrant children who were separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border in June.

During an interview with ABC News’ Tom Llamas, which debuted Friday, the first lady said the jacket was a deliberate choice directed at “the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.”

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MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images

“I want to show them that I don’t care,” Trump said. “You could criticize whatever you want to say, but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right.”

“It was kind of a message, yes,” she added. “I would prefer that they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear.”

She also clarified that the jacket was not worn to target the children she was visiting.

“It’s obvious I didn’t wear the jacket for the children,” she said. “I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane.”

Trump faced outrage after she was photographed wearing the army-style jacket, with the phrase written in large letters on the back, at the Andrews Air Fore Base in Maryland on the way to the Texas border in June. Many were concerned that the first lady intended for the phrase to target the detained immigrants’ situation.

When asked in June why Trump wore the jacket for such an occasion, the first lady’s press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, dismissed the notion that its message was aimed at a particular group.

“It’s a jacket,” Grisham told HuffPost. “There was no hidden message.” 

President Donald Trump offered a different take on his wife’s jacket, saying it was in reference to the “Fake News Media.” 

In Friday’s ABC News interview, Melania Trump said she put the jacket back on after the trip after seeing the media’s reaction to it. 

“After the visit, I put it back on because I see how [the] media got obsessed about it,” she said. “They got so obsessed and I said you know what, that’s what I’m talking about. I would prefer they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear.”

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Before You Go

Designers Who Refuse To Dress Melania Trump
Sophie Theallet(01 of05)
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Sophie Theallet ignited the conversation about dressing Melania Trump when she wrote an open letter in November 2016 refusing to do it -- and encouraging other designers to follow suit. “As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next first lady," she wrote. (credit:The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Tom Ford(02 of05)
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Tom Ford was refusing to dress Melania Trump even before she became first lady. Ford said on "The View" in December 2016 that he'd previously declined to dress Trump because she is "not necessarily my image," adding his belief that the first lady, no matter who she is, should wear clothing the American people can relate to. President-elect Donald Trump responded by claiming Ford was never asked to dress his wife. "I'm not a fan of Tom Ford," he said. (credit:Presley Ann via Getty Images)
Christian Siriano(03 of05)
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Although he originally said in December 2016 he would have to wait and "see how it goes" before making a decision about dressing Melania Trump, Siriano told Time in April 2017 he doesn't think he would dress the first lady. "She is representing what’a happening politically and what’s happening politically right now is not really good for anyone,” he said. (credit:Andrew Toth via Getty Images)
Zac Posen(04 of05)
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Posen said in March 2017 that he doesn't plan on dressing the first lady any time soon. "I'm staying away from bringing my brand into politics," he said, citing "issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting" to him including LGBT and women's rights. (credit:Krista Kennell via Getty Images)
Marc Jacobs(05 of05)
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Marc Jacobs told WWD in November 2016 that he "has no interest whatsoever" in dressing the first lady, opting instead to put his "energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters." (credit:Amy E. Price via Getty Images)