Melania Trump is willing to play petty schoolyard games with the media, but she is only hurting herself

Her desire to attack the media through her fashion choices just shows how her priorities, like Donald Trump’s, are wrongheaded

It isn’t fake news, or bullying, to call out the inadequacies of the first lady (Reuters)

Melania Trump has explained in an interview with US media why she wore a jacket with the words “I really don’t care, do you?” emblazoned on the back when boarding a plane in June to visit an immigrant child detention centre in Texas. She wore it, she said, to take aim at “the people and for the left-wing media who are criticising me”.

But no one is impressed by that excuse. Firstly, the timing of the jacket was inappropriate to say the least. Even though she has now clarified that the message was not aimed at the children, it still seems awfully self-involved to have chosen that moment to express her displeasure at the media and liberals. In such a bitterly divided country, Melania’s decision to wear that jacket was baffling as well as offensive, no matter what the reasoning.

Furthermore, it just goes to show how her priorities, like Donald Trump’s, are wrongheaded. Her husband is famous for lashing out at the media whenever they criticise him and Melania now seems to be doing the same. As the president and the first lady, you would think that they would be concentrating on trying to bring some unity back to America rather than reinforcing the idea that those who disagree are the enemy. Melania has made it abundantly clear that like Trump she is happy to fan the flames and add weight to already strained relations in the US just to make a petty point.

This isn’t the first time that some of her outfits have ended up as offensive political statements. On a recent trip to Nairobi National Park she wore a pith helmet – a symbol of British colonialism. Even if Melania was unaware of the meaning associated with the helmet it highlights her obliviousness and cultural insensitivity as a privileged white woman.

Obviously as the first lady of the United States she represents America on a global stage and so is responsible for her own choices. Rather than accepting that she had made a mistake and reflecting on her actions she again lashed out at the media and claimed to be “one of the most bullied people in the world”. This is a stretch. While some of the comments made about her on social media are undeniably sexist and cruel, this criticism of her was not that. And when you consider the amount of vile, racist hatred displayed towards Michelle Obama, you can’t help but think that Melania has led a sheltered life in comparison.

Melania wants people to focus less on her wardrobe and more on what she does. But in her two years as first lady she does not appear to have done very much. In fact, in her first year she only gave eight speeches. In Michelle Obama’s first year she gave 72. Melania’s “Be Best” project, which aims to reduce bullying, has released a leaflet that was basically copied from the version put out by the Obama administration.

Perhaps the “I don’t care” jacket really does speak volumes about her plans and work ethic as first lady. She is hardly invested in the job, and sometimes comes across as an inmate rather than a willing ambassador. If Melania wants us to focus on what she does perhaps she needs to do more, and show us what she is capable of.

It isn’t fake news, or bullying, to call out her inadequacies. For many months, viral memes and gifs displayed Melania as a victim that needed rescuing. But that image of her is fading fast. Not only has she displayed a lack of cultural awareness and a lack of sensitivity, she has also shown that, like her husband, she is petulant and will resort to schoolyard tactics. The game is now on.