Meryl Streep has issued a snide remark about Melania Trump’s clothing, criticizing the “powerful message” that the First Lady had made through her fashion choices.
The 76-year-old actor discussed how people present themselves through fashion during a recent conversation with former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, moderated by filmmaker Greta Gerwig. The Vogue interview comes ahead of the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, in which Streep reprises her role as magazine editor Miranda Priestley, who is loosely based on Wintour.
During the conversation, Gerwig asked the pair about style, saying that “dressing has always been more nebulous” for women than men. Wintour responded that women don’t need to wear a suit to be powerful, citing female political figures like Michelle Obama and Rama Duwaji, who is married to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“To be fair, Melania Trump also always looks like herself when she dresses,” Wintour added, causing Streep to jump in and take a swipe at one of Trump’s most controversial looks in 2018: A jacket that read “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?”
“I have so many thoughts about this. I think the most… powerful message that our current first lady sent was in the coat that said ‘I Really Don’t Care, Do U?’ when she was going to see migrant children who were incarcerated,” the actor responded. “All dress is about expressing yourself, but we’re also subject to larger historical and political sweeps of expectation.
Meryl Streep criticized the message of Melania Trump’s controversial ‘I Really Don’t Care, Do U?’ jacket from 2018 (Getty)
“I’m stunned at how women in power have to have bare arms on television while men are covered in shirts and ties or a suit. There’s an apology built into women. They have to show their smallness.”
Trump was pictured wearing the Zara coat – which caused a social media storm – while exiting a plane for a visit to Upbring New Hope Children’s Center in June 2018. At the time, critics slammed the item as insensitive amid heightened tensions along the U.S.-Mexico border. Donald Trump had recently implemented his infamous, hardline immigration policy, which separated hundreds of children from their parents.
The former model later responded to the backlash, saying it was “obvious” the coat’s slogan was not aimed at the youngsters, who were separated from their parents. She claimed the wardrobe choice was “for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.”
Melania Trump wore an infamous green jacket in 2018 while traveling to Upbring New Hope Children’s Center (Getty Images)
“I want to show them that I don’t care. You could criticize whatever you want to say, but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right,” she said during an interview with ABC News.
She addressed the controversy over the jacket in her 2024 memoir, Melania, claiming the fallout was “just another example of the media’s irresponsible behavior.”
“I was determined … not to let the media’s false narratives affect my mission to help the children and families at the border,” Trump shared in her memoir. “In fact, I decided to let them know that their criticism would never stop me from doing what I feel is right. To make the point, I wore a particular jacket as I boarded the plane, a jacket that quickly became famous.”
She described the stunt as “discreet yet impactful” – however, it backfired. She wrote how her press secretary Stephanie Grisham’s inbox was soon “flooded with urgent emails from top-tier media outlets regarding the jacket.”