Former US First Lady Michelle Obama appeared to indirectly criticize First Lady Melania Trump in her new book, 'Becoming,' by alluding to the controversial jacket Melania wore in 2018 during a visit to a migrant children's detention center. The jacket bore the now-famous phrase: 'I really don't care, do u?' Michelle wrote in her book: 'The role of the First Lady is often to show up in other people's most difficult moments, and I never wanted to introduce a fashion distraction when I was talking to a family that had lost a child or a community that was suffering a catastrophe.' She added: 'In times of crisis, I would often just wear a simple T-shirt or sweater from my closet, directing all my energy toward connecting with those who had gone before me.' Melania faced widespread criticism in 2018 after wearing a green military-style jacket with a price tag of about $39 during a visit to a children's detention center amid an immigration crisis. The stated purpose of the visit was to show empathy for the detained children, but her choice of outfit overshadowed the entire visit and sparked a wave of controversy. After photos of the jacket spread on social media, then-US President Donald Trump took to Twitter (now known as X) to state that his wife was wearing the jacket to point to what he called 'fake news,' not the children. However, this statement contradicted what Melania's press secretary had said at the time, who confirmed that the jacket carried no hidden message, stating, 'It's just a jacket, nothing more, nothing less.' Elsewhere in her book, Michelle Obama addressed the immense pressure she faced during her tenure as First Lady, noting that every choice made by the president's wife comes under intense scrutiny. She also acknowledged that her position was different, as she was the first African American First Lady in US history.
