WATCH: Jill Biden Explains ‘Love’ Jacket — Widely Seen as Shot at Melania Trump’s ‘I Don’t Really Care’ Coat

Tommy ChristopherJun 11th, 2021, 10:52 am
 

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was asked about a jacket — emblazoned with the word “LOVE” — that many saw as a shot at former First Lady Melania Trump, who infamously wore a coat that carried a decidedly cooler message.

Mrs. Trump created a furor when she wore a coat with the words “I REALLY DON’T CARE DO U” painted on the back as she visited a child detention center in Texas, convincing some that it was a coded slap at her husband, and others that it was a chilly message to the migrant children she was about to visit.

So when Dr. Biden showed up in St. Ives sporting a black jacket with the word “LOVE” printed on what appeared to be a field of rhinestones, it raised eyebrows with the press and immediately drew comparisons to Mrs. Trump.

A reporter asked about the jacket on Thursday, saying “Can you explain the message on your back, of your jacket, if you’re willing?”

“Oh, the love?” Biden said.

“Yeah,” the reporter replied.

“I think that we’re bringing love from America,” Dr. Biden said. “This is a global conference, and we are trying to bring unity across the globe. And I think that’s important right now, that people feel a sense of unity from all the countries and feel a sense of hope after this year of the pandemic.”

Asked about her husband’s preparations for the trip, Biden said “I think he’s so well prepared. He’s been studying for weeks, working up to today. Of course he knows most of the leaders that‘ll be here. Joe loves foreign policy. This is his forte.”

When asked if the president is prepared for the Putin meeting, she exclaimed “Oh my gosh, he’s over prepared!”

Social media and the press were abuzz about the jacket, which many saw as a contrast to Melania Trump’s, and some saw as a direct shot at her:

The New York Times even took pains to stir the pot, noting that when asked about the jacket, Dr. Biden did not “say whether her jacket was intended as a rebuke of sorts to Mrs. Trump, or even inspired by the previous incident. Asked about the comparison, her communications director referred to her comments to reporters.”

Shorter answer: she said what she said.

It is worth noting that the then-future first lady wore the same jacket to then-future President Joe Biden’s campaign kickoff speech in Philadelphia in May of 2019, which drew a similar comparison at the time:

Watch above via C-Span.

Tags: