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Relax, Melania Trump is not wearing sky-high heels in a disaster zone

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Everyone calm down: Melania Trump is not wearing mile-high stilettos in a disaster zone.
Everyone calm down: Melania Trump is not wearing mile-high stilettos in a disaster zone.

Everyone calm down: Melania Trump is not wearing mile-high stilettos in a disaster zone.

The first lady and wife of President Donald Trump drew some criticism Tuesday morning as she was spotted boarding Marine One and then Air Force One in sky-high heels, about to take off to Texas to survey the damage caused by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Although it's fair to say that the former supermodel likely feels pretty comfortable in four-inch heels, the first lady's fashion choice nonetheless spurred a wave of disapproval from some on social media.

However, as the Trumps disembarked from the plane in Corpus Christi, Texas, the first lady was wearing much more sensible footwear: white sneakers.

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived in Corpus Christi to take part in a briefing on Harvey relief efforts.Evan Vucci

She'd also donned a black baseball cap sporting the acronym "FLOTUS" — short for "first lady of the United States" — which drew a bit more mockery over her fashion choices.

Of course, this is just one moment in a long history of fraught optics when it comes to presidential visits to disaster zones.

President George W. Bush was heavily criticized in 2005 after he flew over the destruction from Hurricane Katrina, with many saying he was detached from what was happening on the ground.

In 2016, President Obama was criticized for not ending his vacation on Martha's Vineyard to visit areas of Louisiana hit by floods.

President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, waved as they walked from the White House to the South Lawn to board Marine One for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base.Jacquelyn Martin
President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump to Marine One.Jacquelyn Martin
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.JIM WATSON

Material from the Associated press was used in this report.