Vogue dumps on Melania Trump’s official White House portrait after years of snubbing her

After years of fawning over Jill Biden, Vogue’s ongoing snub of First Lady Melania Trump returned with claws out regarding her official portrait.

“…more like a freelance magician than a public servant.”

While a decision to feature now-former Vice President Kamala Harris on the cover ahead of the 2024 election had cemented the magazine as “part of the Democrat propaganda machine” for many, their recent reviews of the women within President Donald Trump’s orbit fully embraced the vitriol of the “childless cat ladies.”

Upon the reveal of the first lady’s official White House portrait Monday, Vogue ran a heavily-critical article suggesting she was cosplaying “The Apprentice” with her decision to wear a designer tuxedo in the striking black and white photo.

“Indeed,” read the piece that described the image with the Washington Monument “towering over her shoulder” in the background, “Trump looked more like she was guest starring on an episode of The Apprentice than assuming the role of first lady of the United States.”

“Trump’s clothing certainly didn’t help the boardroom pastiche,” wrote Hannah Jackson. “The first lady wore a black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket with satin trimmed lapels over a white button-up, which she paired with a Ralph Lauren cummerbund and trousers.”

“The choice to wear a tuxedo–as opposed to a blazer or blouse–made Trump look more like a freelance magician than a public servant,” the scathing critique continued.

Taking aim at the former model’s success, the article suggested, “It’s perhaps unsurprising that a woman who lives in a gold-encrusted penthouse, whose fame is so intertwined with a reality television empire, would refuse to abandon theatrics–even when faced with 248 years of tradition.”

The Trump wealth was equally shamed as Vogue compared the new portrait to the 2017 version and said, “Unlike the new black-and-white image, Trump’s first portrait was in color, featuring the First Lady–face airbrushed into oblivion–wide-eyed, smiling with a hint of teeth, her arms crossed to display a massive diamond wedding ring.”

“This time, while the portrait remains more subdued, the Trumps are displaying wealth not through diamond rings, but through the coterie of tech CEOs who sat front row at the 2025 Inauguration, whose combined net worth was over a trillion dollars,” wrote Jackson. “Now, attempting a no-nonsense businesswoman approach in her situationally inappropriate tuxedo, it seems that Melania Trump still struggles with sartorial messaging.”

The first lady wasn’t alone in feeling the claws of the fashionistas as the president’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, was also slammed by Vogue over her Inaugural Ball gown that had been based on Audrey Hepburn’s attire in the film “Sabrina.”

“Given politicians often embed their outfits with powerful or meaningful choices–see Dr. Jill Biden’s patriotic wardrobe in shades of red, white, and blue–Trump’s wardrobe appears to be built on artifice and aesthetics instead,” read the article that managed to sneak in another fawning admiration of the former first lady.

“It may be an intentional choice: Perhaps Trump prefers to keep her wardrobe surface-level. But her nod to upbeat Hollywood glamour, on stage that holds so much weight for Americans, felt misguided,” the piece added.

Of course, despite the slights from Vogue, which had featured Biden and Michelle Obama three times, as well as once for Harris and Hillary Clinton when she was first lady, those with eyes to see raved over the stylings of Trump world.

Kevin Haggerty

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