Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, meeting with US President Donald Trump from September 23 to 25, 2026.
On Thursday evening, the POTUS and the First Lady Melania Trump hosted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a White House state dinner.
Melania chose a black-and-white ensemble, which instantly sparked online debate over whether her look was acceptable for the black-tie occasion.
“It was inappropriate. She’s disrespectful,” one disappointed netizen said.
Melania Trump called “tasteless” for wearing pants to the White House state dinner
The grand state dinner, where the two world leaders discussed the ongoing US-China tariff truce and AI regulation, among other things, was also attended by prominent tech and business titans, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, and Jensen Huang.
Standing beside her husband, Melania Trump greeted the Chinese First Couple in a $2,300 white cotton poplin button-up blouse by Saint Laurent, with an oversized bow detail near the neckline.
She paired it with a $1,945 high-waisted brocade pants with embossed peony motifs and a $1,345 silk cummerbund, both by Dolce and Gabbana. Her shoes were Christian Louboutin’s black So Kate pumps.
The First Lady completed her look with diamond stud earrings and wore her hair swept away from her face.
“No class and no regard for any form of protocol,” one person said. Another joked, “She’s gift-wrapped for somebody and it ain’t Trump.”
“First Lady or not… You cannot show up to an official state dinner wearing pants. Unbelievable,” said a third. A fourth said, “You can’t buy taste.”
One more user quipped, “This is what I expect a hostess at my local French bistro to greet me in.
“On the other hand, Madame Peng looked absolutely perfect in every single video and picture,” a sixth user compared Melania’s look with that of the Chinese First Lady’s, who wore a floor-length red gown with a Mandarin collar and accessorized with a double-stringed pearl necklace.
Melania Trump has previously been slammed for “ugly” outfits
This isn’t the first time Melania Trump has faced scrutiny for her fashion choices, especially at high-profile events.
During a September 2025 presidential trip to the UK, she was trolled for wearing an oversized plum-colored wide-brimmed hat on a visit to Windsor Castle.
“She has to wear it. The hat is the only thing that stops Donald from being able to kiss her,” one person joked at the time. “Why is Melania standing there like a fashionable grim reaper?” another jibed.
Then she wore an off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress in canary yellow to King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s State Banquet, accessorized with a wide lavender-pink belt.
“Does Melania have to look like she’s going to the beach? Did she bring a towel and sunscreen too?” one user quipped at her. Another said, “She literally looked like a Teletubby.”
More recently, she wore another pant-and-shirt attire at the annual National Governors Dinner and Reception, held at the White House on February 21, 2026.
Melania walked out in Dolce & Gabbana’s $2,395 metallic silver floral puff brocade ankle pants, with a black shirt that also had an oversized bow near the neckline.
“Did she get dressed thinking she was going to a girls’ lunch with some old school friends?” one tweeted about the look.
Jill Biden’s stylist weighed in on Melania Trump’s alleged “statement” dressing
Given that Melania adhered to traditional dressing etiquette and even impressed fashion critics far more during Trump’s first presidential term, many also speculated whether she was sending some sort of message with the pantsuits, either to her husband or to his critics.
Back in 2018, the FLOTUS wore the infamous “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” jacket while visiting migrant children separated from their parents, triggering widespread outrage over her “tone-deafness.”
Many thought at the time that it was also a statement, but her spokesperson clarified that there was “no hidden message.”
“I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear,” she later told the media during a visit to Egypt the same year.
San Diego-based personal stylist and image consultant Cynthia Kennedy told the Daily Mail in April 2026 that the First Lady’s recent outfits paint her as “independent” and “rebellious.”
“She’s not doing what people expect. She’s not wearing safe, dull, traditional First Lady fashion. What she’s doing may not necessarily be modern, but it is strategic,” Kennedy added.
“She’s showing that she’s on a completely different playing field and follows her own rules. She’s not interested in dressing for any role.”
Stylist Bailey Moon, who served as Dr. Jill Biden’s fashion advisor during her tenure as First Lady, told Vogue in January 2026, “There’s no deeper meaning to it. And to me, there is no strategy. She’s a clothes horse; she likes clothes. When she likes a dress, she likes a dress. It doesn’t matter where it comes from.”
“Shows lack of respect.” The internet was up in arms about Melania Trump’s state dinner outfit
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