MCALLEN, Texas (Reuters) - First Lady Melania Trump’s visit on Thursday to a Texas shelter housing migrant children separated from their parents was overshadowed by a jacket she wore with the words: “I really don’t care, do u?” scrawled in white brush strokes on the back. Melania Trump was shown in photos wearing the hooded green khaki jacket designed by fashion chain Zara as she boarded a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to the border facility in McAllen, Texas. She had it on again when she left the aircraft upon returning to Washington D.C. later in the evening. “It’s a jacket,” Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump’s spokeswoman, told reporters. “There was no hidden message. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe.” Defending his wife’s choice of jacket, Trump blamed the media, tweeting: “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!” The trip to Texas was the most high-profile public appearance Melania Trump had made since undergoing a surgical procedure for a kidney condition on May 14. The first lady, a former fashion model, sometimes gets input on wardrobe decisions from her fashion adviser, Herve Pierre. The backlash came fast and furious on Twitter, threatening to undercut the compassionate visit to the shelter. Her unannounced visit to Texas came a day after her husband President Donald Trump signed an executive order to modify his administration’s practice of separating children from their migrant parents when they illegally enter the United States. Slideshow ( 17 images ) The president ordered federal agencies on Thursday to begin reuniting immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border, but his efforts to roll back a policy that drew global condemnation were beset by confusion. ‘HEROIC WORK’ Melania Trump met with staff in McAllen where over 50 children aged 12 to 17 were housed. Six of them were separated from their parents upon crossing the border, authorities told reporters. By then the jacket was nowhere in sight. Melania Trump sat alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a table at Upbring New Hope Children’s Center and heard caregivers explain how the children are well treated. “I’m glad I’m here and I’m looking forward to seeing and meeting children, but first of all let me begin to recognize each of you and thanking you for all that you do, for your heroic work that you do every day and what you do for those children,” Melania Trump said. Slideshow ( 17 images ) “I’d also like to ask you how I can help these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible,” she said. She visited a schoolroom and chatted with about 20 young girls and boys. In one classroom, children were being taught about the July Fourth Independence Day holiday. On the wall was a hand-painted American flag and the children signed it. The first lady signed it as well. On Wednesday, when signing the executive order to reverse the policy on separating children from parents, Donald Trump cited his daughter and his wife as influencing his decision. “Ivanka feels very strongly, my wife feels very strongly about it, I feel very strongly about it. I think anybody with a heart would feel very strongly about it. We don’t like to see families separated,” Trump said. Melania’s trip to Texas was cut short by heavy rain and flash flooding. She put the jacket back on as she disembarked from her plane back at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.<doc-sep>First Lady Melania Trump departs Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland June 21, 2018 wearing a jacket emblazoned with the words "I really don't care, do you?" First Lady Melania Trump wore a jacket emblazoned with the phrase "I REALLY DON'T CARE. DO U?" as she departed the White House on Thursday morning to visit a shelter in Texas housing migrant children who had been separated from their parents. The jacket caused a stir Thursday afternoon when the Daily Mail first reported on the green canvas military-style coat. The phrase about not caring covered the entire back side of the jacket, which came from the midmarket label Zara. The six-word phrase seemed to convey a message contrary to that of the first lady's trip, which President Donald Trump said earlier had been borne out of concern for the welfare of the children being detained in shelters in Texas. In a tweet Thursday afternoon, however, the president claimed the graphic on his wife's jacket referred "to the Fake News Media." Trump tweet Fake News Media Melania Trump removed the jacket before landing in Texas, where she visited a Lutheran nonprofit shelter in McAllen, the epicenter of family separations under the president's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which he reversed on Wednesday.<doc-sep>First Lady Melania Trump is in McAllen, Texas today making a surprise visit to the border, and the coat she wore to board her flight from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland is making headlines. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. FLOTUS spox confirms Mrs. Trump wore a jacket to visit border kids that reads: "I really don't care. Do you?" Spox says: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe." pic.twitter.com/Bp4Z8n455G — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 21, 2018 The military-style jacket is reportedly a $39 Zara garment that has "I really don't care, do u?" printed on the back, according to the Daily Mail. When asked for comment, the first lady's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told Town & Country: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe. (Much like her high heels last year)." This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Today’s visit w the children in Texas impacted @flotus greatly. If media would spend their time & energy on her actions & efforts to help kids - rather than speculate & focus on her wardrobe - we could get so much accomplished on behalf of children. #SheCares #ItsJustAJacket — Stephanie Grisham 45 Archived (@StephGrisham45) June 21, 2018 She also posted a tweet that included the hashtag #ItsJustAJacket. FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP BOARDS HER PLANE BOUND FOR TEXAS AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE ON THURSDAY. Getty Images Grisham also said she hoped the media would want to report on today's trip, which the first lady asked her staff to plan on Tuesday—two days after Grisham issued the following statement on her behalf about the border issue: "Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." (Every living first lady has now spoken out about what's happening at the border.) The first lady participates in a round-table discussion alongside HHS Secretary Alex Azar and program director Rogelio de la Cerda Jr. at the Upbring New Hope Childrens Center in McAllen, Texas. Getty Images Trump planned to tour two facilities, both in McAllen, according to a White House pool report: The Ursula Border Patrol Processing Center, a Customs and Border Patrol/DHS intake center for migrant families, and Upbring New Hope Children’s Shelter, which part of Lutheran Social Services. Grisham told reporters that the first lady "wanted to see everything for herself … She supports family reunification. She thinks that it’s important that children stay with their families." This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I would like to ask how I can help reunite the children with their families "as quickly as possible" - @FLOTUS visits border detention facility in Texas in wake of US immigration crisis https://t.co/kondZt2qyf pic.twitter.com/zpbQXHfOqY — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 21, 2018 As for the jacket, it made another appearance at the end of the day. When the first lady returned to Joint Base Andrews on Thursday afternoon, she wore it as she got off the plane and boarded her Suburban for the ride back to the White House. The first lady climbs back into her motorcade after traveling to Texas on Thursday. Getty Images Sam Dangremond Contributing Digital Editor Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>The controversy was surprising since Melania Trump, a former fashion model, is particularly attuned to visuals, including her sartorial choices. She is known for carefully selecting her clothing to match the moment, whether it’s an attention-grabbing hat worn for the first state visit of her husband’s administration or a plaid shirt sported for an event in the White House garden with schoolchildren. But her misstep on Thursday called to mind another trip to Texas. Last year, when the first lady accompanied her husband to see the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey, she wore a pair of towering stilettos when boarding the plane. She had exchanged them for practical sneakers by the time she arrived, but she was criticized for looking out of touch.<doc-sep>
First lady Melania Trump wore a green military jacket that says "I really don't care, do u?" on her surprise visit to Texas to visit immigrant children on Thursday. The jacket is made by Zara and costs $39, according to the Daily Mail. Her spokeswoman told Business Insider that "there was no hidden message." First lady Melania Trump wore a green military jacket that says "I really don't care, do u?" on her surprise visit to Texas to visit immigrant children on Thursday. The jacket is made by Zara and costs $39, according to the Daily Mail. "It's a jacket," her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement to Business Insider. "There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe. (Much like her high heels last year.)" First lady Melania Trump boards the plane as she departs Joint Base Andrews on her way to Texas, in Maryland on June 21 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Trump's visit to McAllen, Texas, came amid the firestorm over President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy that has led to children being separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border. The purpose of the visit was "to take part in briefings and tours at a nonprofit social services center for children who have entered the United States illegally," a statement from Grisham says. On Wednesday, the president signed an executive order designed to end the family-separation policy. When asked whether the first lady had seen the images of detained children, Grisham said she had. "She's heard the recordings ... She was on top of the situation before any of that came out," Grisham said. "She was concerned about it. The images struck her as a mother, as a human being."