First Lady Melania Trump's Hat at the Inauguration Was Kind of Hard To Miss

Wearing hats to formal events might be a British Royal Family thing, but when it came to the 2025 inauguration in the United States, Melania Trump channeled her inner Brit and wore a hat of her own. But what many are asking now is why Melania wore a hat, especially since its wide brim made it hard for President Donald Trump to get very close to her.

After the questions of why Melania chose the hat came out, there were memes and comments online that suggested the hat was Melania's way to intentionally give herself space from her husband at the inauguration. But what, if any, significance was there behind her decision to wear the hat at an event where no one else donned a formal headpiece?

Melania's decision to wear her hat at the inauguration boils down to a fashion choice. The hat went with her outfit, and on the day of the event, which had been moved indoors due to inclement weather, Melania chose to wear the hat, unbeknownst to the designer of the hat himself, Eric Javits. He spoke to CBS Mornings about designing the hat for Melania, but he revealed that he hadn't even known she would wear it until he saw her in it during the televised inauguration.

"I sort of feel like it wasn't really a 'wow' hat," he admitted. "It was very understated, very elegant and appropriate, but when she put it on, and I had never seen her wearing it before because I never had direct contact with her in person or anything, so I really felt that her presence and her grace and beauty really brought the whole thing alive."

He also shared that he had to create the hat twice because the first was destroyed when its box was crushed during a snowstorm. And the inspiration for the hat itself came from something Melania had purchased from the designer years ago, so in many ways, it was definitely on brand for the First Lady.

Despite the hat simply being part of Melania's outfit for the inauguration, the internet wasted no time in assuming the real reason Melania wore that hat with the wide brim that kept people at bay. Her husband included.

"Oh, now it makes sense. Melania wore the hat as a barrier to Trump's lips. Got it," one user shared on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a video of Trump leaning in for a kiss and barely making it to Melania's lips because of the hat's brim.

Another user shared the same clip and posted, "That hat she wore was the best decision Melania Trump has ever made. The cringiest air kiss ever."