Melania Trump's Floral Fashion Faux Pas Marks Rare Misstep For Former First Lady

With the 2024 election date — not to mention his court dates — drawing ever closer, Donald Trump has been stepping up his campaign fundraising efforts. On April 6, he hosted a fundraiser in Palm Beach that netted an eye-popping $50.1 million, a sum his staff called record-breaking for a single event. "This has been some incredible evening before it even starts because people wanted to contribute to a cause of making America great again," Trump told the press, according to ABC News. Also noteworthy was the fact Trump was joined by his wife that night. Melania Trump has been keeping her distance from the campaign trail, which some attribute to her desire for privacy for herself and her son, Barron. Her choice of outfit, however, caused some news followers to say she would have been better off keeping to that policy.

The former first lady opted for a long-sleeved, purple Valentino jumpsuit with an oversized floral print detail on the sleeves and lower legs. It wasn't the most expensive outfit Melania has ever worn — that honor goes to her $96,000 wedding gown — but it was no bargain, either, with a suggested retail price of nearly $7,000. Humorist Paul Rudnick couldn't resist a dig on X, formerly known as Twitter, posting side-by-side pictures of Melania and an old pattern kit of 70s floral housecoats. "People ask what Melania's been doing: she's been making her own clothes," he wrote. Followers agreed. "She had the choice of a bedspread or the dining room curtains," quipped one. Yet, despite the ensemble's lukewarm reception, she's not the first to don this questionable frock.

Though she's normally the picture of high style, Melania Trump has made some outrageous fashion choices in her life that drew unwanted attention. She was the only former first lady not to wear black to Rosalynn Carter's funeral (though her gray ensemble was appropriately conservative). She donned a pricey Balmain flannel shirt to do some gardening at the White House. And who could forget her infamous "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" jacket? By comparison, Melania's splashy jumpsuit seems tame. Still, that didn't stop the snarkers on X, who made comparisons to shower curtains, Goodwill donations, a "polyester Walmart monstrosity," and, as one follower slammed, a "god-awful, ugly, formless, thrift-store tablecloth."

One commenter pointed out the irony of Donald Trump's fundraising efforts, which include selling Bibles featuring copies of the Constitution and other political documents in an attempt to appeal to Christian voters. "Trump begs his MAGA donors for their very last $5.00 — while Melania wears a $6900.00 Valentino romper to their billionaire dinner," they said. And another sharp-eyed observer noted Melania's outfit was the same one Awkwafina wore to a movie screening in 2019. Talk about an odd-couple twinning!

But one Trump critic actually gave Melania an A+: "Not overly madeup, not revealing, not clinging to every curve," they said. "Compare what she has on to the typical woman at Mar-a-Lago who looks like she broke into the performers' dressing room at Illusions Drag and got away with the Gawdy Collection."