Vogue Slams Melania Trump’s Official WH Portrait With Savage Two-Word Jab
Vogue Labels Melania Trump ‘Freelance Magician’ in Scathing Portrait Review
Vogue magazine has published a blistering critique of First Lady Melania Trump’s newly unveiled White House portrait, likening her appearance to that of a “freelance magician.”
The review, written by Hannah Jackson, sharply criticized Trump’s choice of attire and reignited longstanding tensions between the fashion magazine and the first lady.
Melania Trump revealed her official White House portrait on Monday, surprising her followers with a dramatic black-and-white image taken in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence.
First Lady Melania Trump’s Official White House Portrait pic.twitter.com/pMdooFZW53
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) January 27, 2025
The photograph, captured by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, features Trump wearing a tailored black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo with a white shirt. The Washington Monument is visible in the background.
Vogue’s critique focused on the styling, with Jackson deriding the ensemble as “situationally inappropriate” and stating that it “didn’t help the boardroom pastiche.”
“Trump looked more like she was guest-starring on an episode of The Apprentice than assuming the role of first lady of the United State,” she wrote, according to the Daily Mail.
The article further took aim at Trump’s personal style.
“It’s perhaps unsurprising that a woman who lived 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 article read.
This is the Vogue Magazine “fashionista” who criticized Melania Trumps fashion. You can’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/JhWiqMOIBP
— Angie G (@MomAngtrades) January 29, 2025
Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, a known supporter of Democrat politicians, has a history of showcasing Democratic first ladies on the magazine’s cover. Both former First Lady Jill Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris have been prominently featured, while Trump was notably excluded during her tenure as first lady.
Despite Trump’s background in fashion and modeling, Vogue never offered her a cover—a break from its tradition of featuring presidential spouses.
Trump was recorded in 2018 expressing frustration over the magazine’s stance.
“Vogue said like, oh, we want to do a profile. Profile? F*** you, profile,” she said in a secretly recorded conversation, according to the Daily Mail.
“I don’t need no profile. Yeah, what I need another profile?”
“It might be a cover,” she continued.” I’m like, might be a cover?”
“I don’t give a f*** about Vogue and any magazine.”
Following the portrait’s release, reactions on social media were divided. Many of Melania Trump’s fans praised the image, with some even suggesting it looked like a Vogue cover.
Beautiful portrait of our wonderful First Lady
— Stop Socialist Tyranny (@endlibtyranny) January 27, 2025
She is a true icon and a great representative of America
We are lucky to have her back in the White House
Who needs a Vogue cover and Annie Leibowitz photo spread when you have this? White House releases an official photo of @FLOTUS Melania Trump taken by photographer @RegineMahaux pic.twitter.com/Sgyc0EN24i
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) January 27, 2025
Others, however, criticized the photo for appearing overly edited.
This is so over-softened on her face and touched up that it is almost AI-like.
— SendCake Films (@SendCakeFilms) January 28, 2025
I thought the world had moved on to more real, less Photoshop use in images, but it seems not for the Trumps.
Welcome to the late 1990s pic.twitter.com/Rn48RsZ8tH
Trump’s new 2025 portrait marks a significant departure from her first official White House portrait in 2017. The earlier image, in color, showed her slightly smiling in a black blazer, her arms crossed to prominently display a massive 25-carat diamond ring reportedly worth $3 million, according to Fox News.
First lady Melania Trump gets her official White House portrait https://t.co/oIChNkQdlm pic.twitter.com/Gl3pA6tbIs
— CNN (@CNN) April 4, 2017
At the time, critics accused her of flaunting excessive wealth. In contrast, the latest portrait takes on a more subdued tone, though Vogue still took the opportunity to criticize the Trump family’s displays of wealth, referencing the presence of tech CEOs at the 2025 inauguration, whose combined net worth was estimated to be over one trillion dollars, according to Vogue.
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