Both the first lady and first daughter Ivanka Trump have been closely watched in Saudi Arabia for both style and substance.
On Sunday, the first lady
conducted a few solo events while her husband continued bilateral
meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council. She visited the American
International School in Riyadh and an all-women General Electric service
center, tweeting out images from both visits, calling the visits an
"honor" and praising "international perspective and education to
children."
Similarly,
Ivanka Trump separately attended a women's empowerment roundtable at
Tuwaiq Palace with civil society leaders, prominent businesswomen and
female Saudi elected government officials, according to the White House.
"It is important to hear
directly from local women about progress they and their country have
been able to make and the challenges they still face," a White House
official said.
Both
women went sans headscarf during their time in the kingdom, despite the
fact that President Donald Trump once criticized Michelle Obama for
doing the same.
"Many people are
saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi
Arabia, but they were insulted. We have enuf enemies," he tweeted in
January 2015.
Arab News, circulated in a special English print edition for US press,
heaped praised on the first lady, calling her outfits "classy and
conservative." A full-page color photo accompanied, showing a glowing
Trump in a black jumpsuit.
In a
country that favors abayas for women over almost anything else, Trump
stepped off Air Force One in the jumpsuit, which appeared to be from
British designer Stella McCartney. Cuffed at the sleeves and cinched at
the waist with a large gold belt, the flowing look closely resembled an
abaya, which her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said was not a
coincidence.
"If you look at her
style, it's still very much her and her style of dress but being
sensitive to the place and host nation for sure," Grisham said.
Arab News noted the
resemblance as well, quoting a boutique-owner in Jeddah, Nahed Andijani:
"When I saw her arrival pictures wearing a modest outfit respecting our
culture, I was like, 'This looks so much like my abaya!' "
Trump
wore the jumpsuit for a day of bilateral meetings before changing in
the evening into a sweeping magenta gown, complete with flowing cape
sleeves, for dinner at the Saudi palace. American press noted that the
first lady and Ivanka Trump were the only women present at the opulent
welcoming ceremony,
which featured the Saudi king and Cabinet secretaries dancing with swords.
Grisham
said of the decision to opt out of the scarf that Trump has been
working closely with the State Department protocol and received
briefings before the first foreign foray.
"It
was not required for her to wear a headscarf and nobody asked her to,
and based on that she chose not to," Grisham said, adding that the first
lady has been "studying hard" for the trip.
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