Why Melania Trump covers her head one day and not the next
WASHINGTON— To cover up or not to cover up?
Melania Trump wore a veil to the Vatican on Wednesday to meet the pope, but no head covering a few days earlier to meet the king of Saudi Arabia, a religiously conservative country where most women cover themselves from head to toe.
Why the difference? The answer is a complicated mix of personal preference, protocol and religion.
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said Mrs. Trump’s decision to wear a black lace veil followed Vatican protocol that women who have an audience with the pope must wear long sleeves, formal black clothing and a veil to cover their heads. In Saudi Arabia, however, the government did not request that Mrs. Trump wear a head covering or a headscarf, Grisham said.
Every woman in the U.S. delegation wore a veil, including Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter who converted to Judaism before marriage.
In Saudi Arabia, the first lady dressed conservatively for her arrival Saturday in the capital of Riyadh. She wore a long-sleeved, highnecked, black pantsuit that mimicked the loose, black robes, or abayas, that female residents wear. Her attire during the two-day visit hewed to the protocol for high-level female visitors: modest dress, longer sleeves, higher necklines, pants and long dresses.
Ivanka Trump also dressed modestly and left her head uncovered.
In Israel, the Trumps visited the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. Donald Trump, who became the first U.S. president to visit the wall while in office, donned a yarmulke — a skullcap — which is customary.
In keeping with Orthodox Jewish tradition, men and women pray separately at the wall. Ivanka Trump wore a black head covering to the wall while Melania Trump wore no head covering. Many Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair as a sign of modesty.