White House Releases Official Portrait of The First Lady
Ah, Vogue. The so-called fashion bible that spent the last four years fawning over Jill Biden’s garden-party cardigans and Kamala Harris’s pantsuits like they were the second coming of Coco Chanel—only to turn around and launch a full-scale hit piece on Melania Trump the moment she set foot back in the White House.
This time, the attack comes from Vogue fashion writer Hannah Jackson, who, instead of offering any real critique of the First Lady’s official portrait, decided to take cheap shots at her entire existence. Jackson sneered that Melania looked more like a “freelance magician” than a public servant, which is ironic considering Vogue once praised Jill Biden’s floral couch upholstery as some kind of revolutionary fashion statement.
But it doesn’t stop there. Jackson doubled down, saying Melania’s portrait made her look more like she was “guest-starring on an episode of The Apprentice” than filling the role of First Lady. Apparently, wearing a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket with a Ralph Lauren cummerbund and trousers is some sort of fashion crime now—never mind the fact that powerful women, from Marlene Dietrich to Bianca Jagger, have been rocking tuxedos for decades. But when Melania wears one? Suddenly, it’s a scandal.
https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZND pic.twitter.com/KKA6anTEYC
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 10, 2024
The real kicker, though, is Jackson’s laughably bitter remark about Melania’s “theatrics.” She sneers 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.” The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife. This is coming from a magazine that turned Biden’s granddaughter’s wedding into a Vogue cover shoot, treated Michelle Obama’s every outfit like a groundbreaking moment in history, and, let’s not forget, featured Kamala Harris in sneakers on the cover as some kind of bold political statement. But Melania is the one who’s too theatrical? Please.
Of course, what’s really happening here isn’t about tuxedos, photography, or The Apprentice references—it’s about how the Trumps have been treated by the media ever since Donald Trump first stepped into politics. The official portraits of the President and First Lady are understandably more serious in tone than their first time in the White House. And why wouldn’t they be?
In just the past few years, President Trump has endured an unprecedented weaponization of the legal system, an FBI raid on his private residence, and not one, but two assassination attempts. And yet, Vogue’s big concern is whether Melania’s black-and-white portrait is too serious.
Let’s take a moment to remember what Melania Trump said just months ago, after one of those attempts on her husband’s life:
"The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience. Now, the silence around it feels heavy."
"I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to this story, and we need to uncover the truth."
The silence around what happened to her husband—and the way it has been glossed over by the very same media that now nitpicks her clothing choices—tells you everything you need to know about where their priorities lie.