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Conservatives are coming after Vogue for posting a “scathing” review of Melania Trump’s new White House portrait in which the magazine accuses the First Lady of “cosplaying The Apprentice.”
The official image, printed in black-and-white and shot by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, features the 54-year-old woman standing over a reflective desk while dressed in a finely-tailored Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket, an unbuttoned white undershirt, and suit pants.
According to Vogue, the entire shot — clothing, set, and pose included — looked as if it were taken for her husband President Donald Trump’s former reality show, which ran from 2004 to 2017.
“Indeed, 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,” the outlet wrote before comparing her outfit to a magician’s uniform.
“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 continued.
Vogue’s January 28 article was met with immediate backlash from conservative commentators online.
Right-wing Newsmax host Todd Starnes wrote: “The mean girls who run Vogue published a scathing attack on First Lady Melania Trump’s official White House portrait.
“It’s unclear why Vogue directed their poisonous venom at Mrs. Trump. Envy, perhaps? Or it could just be that they hate bold, confident Republican women.
“Melania Trump is a portrait of beauty, style, elegance and power. She’s a wife and a mother. She’s a person who embraces her God-given pronoun,” he continued. “She’s incredibly intelligent. She can speak fluently in five languages. And she has a terrific sense of humor. The Mean Girls who run the fashion magazines have an entirely different standard for style and beauty.”
Author Scott Holleran agreed: “Dear @voguemagazine: The White House’s official portrait of First Lady Melania Trump, by Regine Malhaux, is rightly and radically emancipated, elegant and refined.
“I love the reflection of herself—representing that First Lady Melania Trump is a hands-on president’s wife—ready,” he added.
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum added: “Cmon Vogue. For decades you told us to know our power and be thin and well dressed when wielding it, and you diss this portrait of our most stunning FLOTUS since Jackie? You want her in a comfy blazer and pastels…I’m guessing she doesn’t care.”
Kathy Gyngell, editor of The Conservative Woman, wrote: “Oh look. A magazine for women tearing pieces out of …women.”
Many critics on X also pointed out that the magazine had featured Democrats Kamala Harris and Jill Biden on its covers in the past.
Vice President Harris was interviewed by the magazine in October 2024 in the midst of her bid for the White House just months after the former first lady appeared on the cover.
Already, the new FLOTUS has riled people with her statement outfits worn in the White House. For her husband’s second inauguration on January 20, Melania wore a long, silk-and-wool navy blue overcoat designed by Adam Lippes and a wide-brimmed hat by Eric Javits.
For the majority of the swearing-in ceremony, the top half of Melania’s face was shielded by the hat, spawning hundreds of memes online.
