Melania puts out message

IF SHE was sending a message to her husband yesterday, it appeared to be one of sarcasm and scorn.

Melania Trump wore a jacket with the words: “I really don’t care, do U?” emblazoned on the back as she flew to Texas for a surprise visit to a child migrant detention centre.

Trump, along with the Pope and every living former US first lady, has condemned her husband’s policy of separating migrant children from their families.

So the khaki green Zara coat with the graffiti-style slogan on the back that she wore to board her plane at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington was seen by some as a rebuke to Trump.

Other online commentators, however, accused her of insensitivity, speculating that she had simply not understood that the slogan would trigger such speculation.

There was also criticism of White House staff for letting her wear the coat. Melania’s spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, insisted: “It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message.”

Certainly, Melania seems to care about the plight of the migrants. She came close to tears during her visit this week.

Perhaps she thought she had made her point by the time she reached Mcallen, in Texas, as she had changed into an off-white jacket, white trousers and trainers.

Grisham said that the visit was “100%” Melania’s idea.

She added: “She absolutely wanted to come. She wants to see what’s happening for herself.”

The US first lady went to the Upbring New Hope Children’s Shelter, which houses 55 children, five of whom were separated from their parents.

She told staff: “I want to recognise each of you and thank you for all that you do every day and what you do for those children.

“I’d also like to ask you how I can help these children reunite with their families.”

One of the workers told Melania that children who are separated from their parents get to speak to them twice a week.

She appeared to be close to tears when another worker spoke about the children.

The jacket is not Melania’s first insensitive fashion choice. On a visit to Texas to see victims of Hurricane Harvey last year she wore glamorous stiletto heels.

More than 2 300 children have been separated from their parents since April, when the Trump administration began prosecuting adults who illegally enter the US.

Donald Trump remained in Washington this week. After signing the order rescinding the policy on Wednesday, he said that his wife and his daughter Ivanka “felt very strongly” about it. – Daily Mail