First Lady Melania Trump dazzled White House guests when trying on Meta's AI-enabled sunglasses at the White House alongside Queen Camilla on Tuesday. At an event on the tennis court showcasing innovation in education, the two women spoke to students using the tech, and the First Lady even slipped on a pair of brown Ray-Ban Meta shades herself.
The display was designed to show off how the glasses could help children 'learn about American history and the Special Relationship by evaluating artifacts from the White House Collection and the National Archives and Records Administration,' according to a press release.
It did not go unnoticed by the jealous press pack. One even groaned. Having worn Meta glasses on the grounds many times before, I could understand the sentiment now that the media has been banned from doing so. That's because the White House moved to clamp down on the fashionable tech early this year, telling reporters they were no longer permitted to wear devices with photo or video capability.
'We've noticed your use of Meta Glasses in the briefing room,' a White House official told me in early April. 'Unfortunately, they are not allowed on the complex according to White House policy. We appreciate your compliance going forward.'
The notice came the day after the White House's Easter Egg Roll in early April, where Meta hosted another booth to show guests how to use the glasses. Despite the Meta display with the First Lady and youngsters, the glasses are banned on the White House complex, according to White House policy. The wearable tech crackdown came into effect early this year but Meta has hosted demonstrations of the AI-enabled shades at two events on White House grounds in April. Attendees were also photographed trying them out but, according to White House policy, the ban was already in force.
Meanwhile, I recorded from behind the scenes as President Donald Trump raged about his bombing campaign against Iran as giggling toddlers clutching baskets darted around the family friendly day out.
'The Secret Service maintains a list of prohibited items that has long included wearable technology with photo or video capabilities,' White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster told the Daily Mail after the historic annual event held on the South Lawn on Easter Monday. 'This is a common-sense policy and is not directed at any individual company. The Secret Service reserves the right to update its list of prohibited items at any time to ensure the safety and security of all staff and visitors on White House property.'
Yet Meta's glasses were once again on open display at the White House event on Tuesday attended by Melania and Queen Camilla. The company's booth was a 'pre-planned installation in total coordination and compliance' with the Secret Service, an official said. When pressed on why Meta was repeatedly allowed to demonstrate the technology at the White House despite the ban, the administration said it was the federal law enforcement agency and not the White House that decides who may and may not wear the glasses. The Secret Service did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.
The optics, as it were, are hard to ignore. The White House policy bars journalists and staff from wearing the devices yet Meta continues to showcase them on the grounds. Meta donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inaugural fund in 2024 and has pledged an undisclosed amount to help build his planned White House ballroom. The company's founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has stepped up his contact with Trump, visiting the White House for the second inauguration and on at least two occasions since. He also dined with the President at Mar-a-Lago in 2024 during the transition. Throughout the President's first term, Zuckerberg met with Trump just twice.
Meta first unveiled its partnership with Ray-Ban to make AI-enabled glasses in 2020, and the product hit shelves in September 2021. Meta declined to comment.
