Vogue Magazine derided Melania Trump’s newly unveiled official portrait, calling it a dramatic departure from traditional First Lady imagery. In an article published on Monday, the publication slammed the black-and-white photo of the First Lady, likening it to a scene straight out of her husband’s reality show, The Apprentice.
Captured by photographer Régine Mahaux, the portrait presents Melania Trump in a striking power pose, leaning slightly forward with her hands placed on a reflective table. The Washington Monument looms in the background, lending a sense of grandeur to the image. Trump, a former fashion model, is dressed in a dark-colored tuxedo jacket from Dolce & Gabbana, paired with a white shirt and a Ralph Lauren cummerbund, presenting a bold yet unconventional look for the first lady.
Vogue described the outfit as a “boardroom pastiche.” The magazine criticized her sartorial choices for evoking the type of high-stakes corporate theatrics associated with The Apprentice, the NBC reality show hosted by Donald Trump in the early 2000s. The publication described the outfit as making Melania Trump appear less like a public servant and more like a “freelance magician.”
“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 2025 portrait has already attracted significant attention, especially in comparison to her previous official portrait from 2017. In that image, Melania Trump appeared more relaxed, slightly smiling in a soft-focus color photograph, dressed in a simple black blazer with her arms crossed. However, the 2017 portrait was not without its own controversies, as critics took issue with the massive 25-carat diamond ring that Trump wore, reportedly a gift from her husband.
Vogue also critiqued Ivanka Trump’s inaugural ball gown, which was based on a black-and-white Givenchy design inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s iconic look in Sabrina. While the gown was lauded by some for its Old Hollywood glamour, Vogue found it lacking in political gravitas. The publication suggested that, unlike other political figures—such as Dr. Jill Biden, who often incorporates patriotic symbolism into her wardrobe—Ivanka Trump’s fashion choices felt more focused on aesthetics than on meaningful political messaging.
“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,” Vogue wrote. “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.”
To put it mildly, the scrutiny of her appearance as First Lady appears to be a thinly veiled attempt to undermine her position rather than offering a thoughtful evaluation of her style.
Melania Trump is, without a doubt, a highly fashionable and accomplished woman, known for her impeccable sense of style and sophisticated presence. Her background as a former model and her continued work with top-tier designers showcases an understanding of high fashion that most could only aspire to. For a magazine like Vogue, which prides itself on celebrating fashion and personal expression, their relentless criticism of her raises questions.
Vogue’s critique also comes across as part of a broader trend of left-wing bias that has permeated the magazine in recent years. The snubbing of Melania Trump during her first term as First Lady is a prime example. Despite her undeniable presence and high-profile role in the administration, she was largely overlooked for the cover of Vogue—an obvious choice for the magazine given her credentials. In fact, the lack of recognition for Trump during her tenure as First Lady was widely seen as a political statement rather than a sensible editorial choice. One might argue that her exclusion from Vogue’s covers was a deliberate decision, rooted more in politics than an objective assessment of her style.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Oh those poor people. They are green with envy from head to toe. Do bad for them that the green won’t wash off.
A strong, Independent woman is so scarey.
All I wish to do is make them smile and be loved hard by them.
Obviously Vogue does not recognize a beautiful woman with class. Women with class can do a beautiful picture without removing their clothes.
Classy and elegant outfit Melania. Most of Americans laud her style, femininity and sophistication. The outfit is more classy than some of the ridiculous ‘outfits’ that are on most of your models in the Vogue pages, most of which no one would wear.
Save yourself some money and don’t support liberal Vogue.
Melania is a beautiful, accomplished woman who shines as First Lady. The nasty, spiteful comments from Vogue Magazine are what you can expect from a far-left rag!
VOGUE, a democratic rag, would be useful only in an “OUTHOUSE”
WOW–we finally have (again) a First Lady with class and elegance–all understated…and you nitwits have to find fault with our beautiful MELANIA…sadly, the former first woman, Jill, often looked like she used her grandmother’s draperies for dresses…I love that we are back to fashion with the likes of Jackie and Nancy…YAY!
I am hoping other women, no matter their budgets, will return to some feminism and cast aside the too casual sloppy looks of sooooo many years.
And, yes–I agree that most ladies would never wear some of Vogue’s idea of fashion…