Meryl Streep has weighed in on the public image of the Trump couple, revisiting one of Melania Trump’s most talked-about fashion moments and sparking renewed conversation about its broader implications.
“To be fair…”
In a recent Vogue interview with former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, moderated by filmmaker Greta Gerwig, Streep discussed fashion, identity, and the ways in which women’s style is scrutinized in public life.
According to The Independent, the conversation came ahead of the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, in which Streep reprises her role as Miranda Priestley, a character inspired by Wintour.
The discussion began with a look at how personal style can reflect identity. Wintour praised figures like former First Lady Michelle Obama, saying, “Whether she’s wearing J.Crew or Duro Olowu or Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel, she always looks like herself.” She also highlighted New York City’s first lady, noting that she looks “so cool,” favors vintage pieces, and maintains a style that feels both young and modern while staying true to herself.
Turning to the current First Lady, Wintour observed, “To be fair, Melania Trump also always looks like herself when she dresses.” Streep, however, took a sharper view, recalling one of Trump’s most controversial looks:
“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. All dress is about expressing yourself, but we’re also subject to larger historical and political sweeps of expectation.”
She also described the message behind the jacket as “destabilizing.”
The green Zara coat drew international criticism in 2018 when Melania wore it while visiting migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. Initially downplaying its significance, she later explained her choice, telling ABC News, “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 added, “It was kind of a message, yes. I would prefer that they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear.” Melania clarified the jacket was not aimed at the children and noted she wore it before and after the visit, explaining she put it back on afterward because the media had become “obsessed” with it.
For Streep, the episode exemplifies a larger pattern of how those in power can influence public behavior.
Reflecting on her own past commentary, she recalled the 2016 Golden Globe Awards when she criticized President Donald Trump for mocking a reporter with a disability during a 2015 campaign event in South Carolina. Streep said the incident, which was widely reported at the time, had a lasting impact on her:
“And this instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody’s life, because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”
Streep’s reflections connect the criticism of Melania Trump’s jacket to a broader concern about public behavior and responsibility, underscoring how style, actions, and power intersect in the political and cultural spotlight.
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