While President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK was a questionable one on its own, with protestors projecting his photo with Epstein on Windsor Castle, few would have expected his wife to be under fire for her conduct during the tour. To be clear, it wasn’t what Melania Trump did that caused online users to criticize her, but what she didn’t do: take off her massive hat while parading about indoors. One could argue that it’s fine for women to wear hats indoors, even those of royalty, but Melania is not a Royal, and with the size of her hat, many saw it as a sign of disrespect.
One commenter questions whether the White House hadn’t had an expert on protocol explain the details of how Trump and his wife should act, even conduct related to their attire. After all, they were meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla, the monarchs of England. Learning beforehand what would be proper or improper should be an obvious step in preparation. But online users argue that the people running the US government care little for manners. “They don’t even respect their own government’s checks and balances. You think they care about manners?” remarks a Redditor. “Trump has always been and will always be a crass buffoon. He has no respect for royalty in any country.”
Others were quick to point out how Donald Trump does indeed have his own standards, albeit questionable ones at best. Some might recall how Trump wore a blue suit instead of a black one to the Pope’s funeral, which is bizarre, considering funerals generally have a black dress code. However, Trump publicly shamed Volodymyr Zelensky without hesitation for not wearing a suit during his visit to the Oval Office, when the White House allegedly doesn’t have any official dress code. All that said, you’d think either him or Melania would consider wearing a hat while walking about in Windsor Castle as not ideal. Not to mention, it could be awkward for the US President’s wife to be wearing a large hat while interacting with King Charles or Queen Camilla.
Speculations aside, many people online felt that Melania’s decision was ridiculous. “This whole thing is a f**king cartoon,” remarked a user. “She has to wear it, the hat is the only thing that stops Donald from being able to kiss her,” jokes another. Criticisms aside, the King and Queen likely had plenty more important things on their mind than Melania’s hat. Still, it’s hard to escape backlash when you’re the wife of the President in these controversial times.
