Fashion and Politics: Melania Trump vs. Vogue

First Lady Melania Trump’s Official Portrait (Image from White House Briefings and Statements page) (

During her tenure as First Lady, Melania Trump was notably absent from the cover of Vogue magazine, a platform that has historically featured several of her predecessors, including Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. This raises questions about the credibility of Vogue magazine as a fashion magazine and their clear bias against Melania Trump and conservatives as a whole.

Regardless of political views, from a purely stylistic point of view, Melania Trump epitomizes class and sophistication. Her fashion choices often featuring elegant, tailored ensembles which reflect the essence of high fashion. This makes her omission from one of the worlds leading fashion magazines while First Lady that much more perplexing. Beyond fashion, First Lady Melania Trump boasts an impressive background — an immigrant who speaks six languages, a former model, and a First Lady who has represented the United States on the world stage with class and poise. If Vogue’s mission is truly about celebrating fashion and empowering women, the First Lady’s absence contradicts its supposed values and highlights the magazine does not want to empower ALL women, but rather only the ones that fit their political narrative. The magazine happily featured former First Lady Jill Biden on their cover multiple times — whose style has often been questioned, for example on an occasion where she paired fishnet tights with ankle boots and a leather skirt. This raises the question: Is Vogue honoring fashion and empowering women, or is it simply advancing their own political agenda?

Reports suggest that Vogue initially approached Melania Trump for a feature early in her husband's first term, but she declined when the magazine refused to guarantee a cover spot—something it had granted Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Jill Biden without hesitation. This reinforces the claim that Vogue never intended to treat her equally, despite her undeniable credentials as both a fashion icon and a public figure.

The magazine’s hostility towards Melania Trump was further demonstrated when, in January 2025, the magazine published a scathing op-ed ridiculing her official White House portrait, saying she “looks more like a freelance magician than a public servant”. The critique had little to do with fashion and everything to do with disdain for the former First Lady. This move further cemented Vogue’s reputation as an overtly partisan publication that prioritizes political narratives over the very thing it claims to report on—fashion. The First Lady, nonetheless, has never seemed to be bothered by Vogue’s antics, stating back in 2022 that “They (Vogue) are biased, and they have likes and dislikes, and it’s so obvious, and I think American people and everyone see it, and I have much more important things to do — and I did in the White House — than being on the cover of Vogue.”

Ultimately, this raises a broader concern not just about Vogue’s credibility as a fashion magazine, but about the widespread bias in American media. Vogue has positioned itself not as an apolitical magazine celebrating fashion but as a selective gatekeeper, using fashion as a tool to promote those who align with its ideological preferences while ostracizing those who do not. If Vogue were truly dedicated to celebrating style, elegance, and influence, Melania Trump would have graced its cover just as her predecessors did. Instead, its refusal to do so followed by their brutal and cruel critiques of the First Lady’s style is a glaring statement about the growing politicization of media and, unfortunately, the end of impartiality in industries that were once neutral arenas of art and culture.

Fashion and Politics: Melania Trump vs. Vogue

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