President Donald Trump has been widely criticized for his hypocritical “buy American, hire American” rhetoric, since his and his family’s own products are made mostly abroad.
Now he’s under fire for his Labor Day tweet, which touted American labor by American hands, but included a photo of the first lady wearing a dress made in Italy.
“We are building our future with American hands, American labor, American iron, aluminum and steel,” he tweeted.“Happy #LaborDay!”
Melania Trump is pictured wearing a dress by Greek designer Mary Katrantzou that was made in Italy with French materials. It’s not known who designed or manufactured the president’s suit (the White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry), but if the suit or tie is the president’s own label, it was likely made either in China, Mexico or Indonesia.
The photo of the couple was taken at the congressional picnic in June in Washington, D.C., and the $2,255 dress is currently sold out at both Neiman Marcus and Farfetch.
As expected, people on social media had plenty to say about the photo choice.
Melania Trump is not exactly known for championing American fashion, and other first ladies also included international designers in their closets. She can wear what she wants. But considering the purpose of the tweet, there were at least a few other, more American outfits the president could have chosen.
Here’s the first lady wearing Ralph Lauren on election night in November 2016:
Here she is in Michael Kors during Trump’s first address to Congress in February:
And here she is wearing Los Angeles-based designer Monique Lhullier en route to a rally in Youngstown, Ohio in July:
So, there were options, and the president’s message is contradicted once again by his and his family’s personal choices. If the Trumps want to focus on buying and hiring American, perhaps they should start with their own closets and production lines.
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