The “Devil Wears Prada” star has weighed in on the Trump couple’s public image, revisiting one of Melania Trump’s most talked-about fashion moments and drawing renewed attention to it.
A years-old fashion controversy is back in focus after Meryl Streep revisited one of US First Lady Melania Trump’s most talked-about style moments, but her reaction reaches beyond fashion.
In a new Vogue interview, Streep spoke with former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour about fashion and identity before turning to a moment that once sparked global backlash, linking it to a broader pattern she has addressed before.
Meryl Streep is seen outside “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in New York City on April 1, 2026 | Source: Getty Images
Meryl Streep Weighs in on the Moment
In an interview with the fashion magazine, the conversation began with a broader look at how personal style reflects identity. Anna pointed to figures she admires, including former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“Whether she’s wearing J.Crew or Duro Olowu or Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel, she always looks like herself,” the British editor said.
She also praised 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. The focus then turned to the current First Lady.
Anna Wintour attends Milan Fashion Week in Italy on February 28, 2026 | Source: Getty Images
Anna observed, “To be fair, Melania Trump also always looks like herself when she dresses.” Meryl, however, took a different view.
Meryl Streep is seen filming “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in New York City on July 25, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
She told the publication:
“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.”
Meryl Streep on the set of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in New York City, August 1, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
In the same interview, Meryl also described the message behind Melania’s jacket as “destabilizing.”
A Closer Look at the First Lady’s Outfit from Years Ago
The jacket drew widespread backlash in 2018 when Melania wore it while traveling to visit migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. The message on the back quickly became the focus, with critics questioning its timing.
After initially downplaying any meaning behind the green jacket, Melania said it was a deliberate choice aimed at her critics. Accoridng to ABC News, she stated, “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 later acknowledged the jacket conveyed a statement.
Melania Trump at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on June 21, 2018 | Source: Getty Images
Melania explained to the news outlet, “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.”
She said the jacket was not intended for the children and explained that she wore it during travel before and after the visit, adding that she put it back on afterward because the media had become “obsessed” with it.
But for Meryl, the issue went far beyond a single outfit.
Melania Trump steps into a vehicle wearing a green jacket with the words “I really don’t care, do you?” printed on the back | Source: Getty Images
What Meryl Streep Could Not Forget
Years earlier, while accepting the Cecil B. deMille Award at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, Meryl Streep criticized Melania’s husband, President Donald Trump, for appearing to imitate a reporter with a disability during a campaign appearance.
She said the moment had a strong emotional impact on her. Although she did not see anything positive in it, she acknowledged that it achieved its effect by drawing laughter and reactions from its audience.
But for the Oscar winner, the reaction itself was the most troubling part.
Meryl Streep delivers her Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 8, 2017 | Source: Getty Images
Meryll said the moment deeply affected her because it happened in real life, not on screen. She added:
“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.”
The incident she referred to was widely reported at the time.
During a campaign event in South Carolina in 2015, Donald drew criticism after appearing to mock a reporter with a disability, according to CNN.
In footage from the event, Donald was seen gesturing and imitating the reporter while defending a disputed claim, prompting backlash. The reporter he referenced worked for The New York Times and has a chronic condition.
These separate moments involving Donald and Melania were not isolated. A recent appearance during this year’s Easter event drew similar attention.
As previously reported, Donald stepped back into the public eye for the White House Easter Egg Roll…but it wasn’t long before someone else became the real focus online. And once the photos started making the rounds, netizens wasted no time zooming in, comparing angles, and sharing plenty of theories of their own.
Scroll to the end to see the photos!
The appearance came amid renewed public attention after hospitalization rumors about Donald spread across social media over the weekend, with White House officials vehemently pushing back on the claims, according to several outlets covering the event.
But while that may have set the backdrop, the conversation quickly swerved in a far more unexpected direction.
At the event, Donald and Melania were seen together in a series of closely watched moments, including walking among attendees and interacting with children during the Easter festivities on April 6.
In several of the photos, Melania appeared poised and camera-ready in a dark blazer layered over a white top and light-toned pants, while Donald wore a navy suit with a pale blue tie.
Another moment from the day drew even more attention when the couple appeared on a White House balcony to address the crowd. In a video from that appearance, Donald could be heard praising his wife in especially glowing terms, calling attention to her star power in front of the audience.
“I think this is our first lady. What do you think of our first lady? She’s a movie star. I don’t know. Do we call her first [sic] lady or a movie star? She has the biggest movie. Can you believe this? And she deserves it. Would you like to say a couple of words to your friends?” Donald said.
That affectionate introduction only added fuel to the online fascination, because once people began looking more closely at the images, Melania’s appearance became the main talking point.
Instead of focusing on the event itself, many spectators zeroed in on her face, her expressions, her styling, and even whether she looked like herselfat all in the photos being shared.
On Facebook, some commenters were immediately skeptical. “That surely does not look like Melania,” one person wrote. Another commenter echoed the same reaction, “Doesn’t look like Melania to me 🤨.”
Over on Instagram, reactions were just as lively, but far less consistent. Some people read the photos as sweet and flattering, with one fan commenting, “His wife looks so happy!”
Another reiterated, “Look how happy his wife looks. 😂.” That light, amused tone stood in sharp contrast to the more critical responses appearing elsewhere, as not everyone saw happiness in the images.
One person commented, “Look at how upset Melania is that he is still here LOL no easter miracle for us [sic].”
Meanwhile, some of the strongest reactions came from commenters who insisted Melania Trump looked especially glamorous. “She’s beautiful and he adores her. It shows and she loves it [sic]!” one person observed.
Another admirer was even more effusive, gushing, “We love her an she does look like a movie star or a beautiful model. Either way she’s beautiful and elegant.”
Then came the comments that pushed the intrigue even further. One person bluntly declared, “I believe that is Melania’s double.” Another commenter took that theory even further, writing, “Cheeks bigger hair messed up and her thick lips are smiling that’s not the First Lady Also she usually is the same height as him [sic].”
Whether playful, suspicious, or simply hyper-observant, commenters clearly treated the photo set like a frame-by-frame mystery.
From balcony moments to candid crowd shots, the images from the White House Easter Egg Roll tell a story that social media still can’t seem to agree on.
Take a look through the photo gallery below, because these are the images that set off all the chatter in the first place:
The White House Easter Egg Roll, April 6, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stand on the White House balcony beside the Easter Bunny, framed by spring florals, during the 2026 Easter Egg Roll, a tradition dating to 1878 that also marked the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Donald and Melania Trump appear before a crowd on the South Lawn as guests gather for the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll, with the decorated balcony and a large American flag underscoring the festive setting.
Donald and Melania Trump descend from the balcony hand in hand, surrounded by white floral displays, as they greet guests during the event on the South Lawn.
Donald Trump speaks from the White House balcony as Melania Trump and the Easter Bunny stand nearby, with greenery, plaid-wrapped columns, and spring flowers brightening the scene.
Donald and Melania Trump stand beside a uniformed band member near the flower-framed White House entrance as they greet guests, continuing a tradition that began in 1878.
Donald Trump blows a whistle to start an Egg Roll race as Melania Trump, Eric Trump, and children look on during the event on the South Lawn.
Donald Trump addresses the crowd from the White House balcony while Melania Trump and the Easter Bunny stand beside him, with the presidential seal partly visible below.
Donald Trump addresses the crowd gathered for the celebratory event as Melania Trump and the Easter Bunny stand on either side of him.
Melania Trump speaks from the White House balcony as Donald Trump and the Easter Bunny stand beside her, surrounded by cascading greenery and white blooms.
Melania Trump smiles and waves from the White House balcony while Donald Trump stands behind her during the Egg Roll, a springtime tradition held on the South Lawn.
Donald and Melania Trump walk past the Easter Bunny on the South Lawn during the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll, with both dressed in coordinated formal looks for the annual event.
Donald and Melania Trump share a light-hearted moment on the South Lawn, with Melania holding a whistle amid the cheerful crowd.
Donald and Melania Trump blow whistles beside the Easter Bunny, helping kick off a children’s race on the South Lawn.
Donald and Melania Trump walk with guests on the South Lawn, joined by attendees, Lara and Tiffany Trump and kids, in pastel outfits and surrounded by families.
Donald Trump leans in to speak with Melania Trump and seated children as Melania looks up at him during the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll, capturing a quieter moment from the South Lawn festivities.
