Melania Trump’s inauguration hat spawns hilarious memes online: ‘She looks like the Hamburglar’
First Lady Melania Trump refused to reveal her eyes under a wide-brimmed hat this morning (January 20) for the inaugural swearing-in ceremony of her husband Donald Trump, now the 47th President of the United States.
Inside the U.S. Capitol, the 54-year-old donned an Adam Lippes original navy blue, silk-and-wool overcoat and the elongated top hat designed by Eric Javits.
The statement-making accessory casting a shadow over the top half of her face spawned hilarious memes online comparing her to fictional cartoons and evil movie characters.
In one viral X/Twitter post, a picture of Melania was spliced next to an image of the sly McDonald’s villain, the Hamburglar, whose uniform consists of a striped, black and white body suit, red gloves, a patty-printed suit tie, a black eye mask, and of course, a black wide-brimmed hat.
“Why the hell does Melania Trump look like the Hamburglar?” the caption read.
“Melania Trump STUNS in Hamburgler inspired outfit,” another joked.
A second meme creator shared a picture of Melania in her hat next to an image of Mad magazine’s Spy vs. Spy cartoon.
“And now I will never unsee it. Thank you,” one viewer commented under the tweet.
Meanwhile, a third person thought Melania’s fashion resembled the video game character Carmen Sandiego, who wears a long red coat and matching angled hat. “I found Carmen Sandiego,” they wrote.
“No one out-pizzas the Hut,” a fourth commented, comparing Melania’s hat to the fast-food chain’s signature logo.
Another individual believed the FLOTUS’ embellishment made her look like Jim Carrey’s mischievous, green-faced persona in 1994’s The Mask.
More people poked fun at an awkward encounter between Trump and his wife during the inauguration ceremony when the President went to kiss her on the cheek.
In footage online, Trump can be seen puckering his lips and bending below Melania’s hat brim to give her a quick air kiss.
Melania’s outfit was crafted by 52-year-old designer Lippes, who rose to fame as the youngest creative director at Oscar de la Renta before launching his eponymous label.
While Melania has been known to dress in every European fashion house from Yves Saint Laurent to Dolce & Gabbana, the dignitary decided to honor she and her husband’s renewed position in the country by working with the American designer. The entire outfit was picked in collaboration with her stylist of eight years, Hervé Pierre.
In a statement sent directly to Women’s Wear Daily, Lippes said inauguration day “embodies the beauty of American democracy.”
He continued: “Today we had the honor to dress our first lady, Mrs. Melania Trump. Mrs. Trump’s outfit was created by some of America’s finest craftsmen, and I take great pride in showing such work to the world. With deep gratitude to Mrs. Trump for her trust and collaboration.”
As for Melania’s distinctive head accessory, Javits confessed his original hat design was damaged in transit because of a nasty snowstorm, prompting him to rethink the structure and start over.
He told Women’s Wear Daily the design process left him on “a bit of cliff hanger.”
Melania’s dark fashion choice comes after she wore a bright baby blue, knee-length dress to Trump’s first-term inauguration ceremony in 2017 and a light, cream-colored gown by her stylist Hervé Pierre to the ball later that night.
