Vogue Magazine harshly criticized first lady Melania Trump’s official portrait unveiled by the White House on Monday.
The fashion magazine characterized Trump’s fierce photo as looking more like she was guest starring on an episode of “The Apprentice,” the reality show her husband hosted for NBC in the 2000s.
In the black and white photo, captured by photographer Régine Mahaux, Trump is seen striking a power pose, leaning slightly forward with her hands resting on a reflective table with the Washington Monument behind her. The first lady and former fashion model opted for a dark-colored suit with a crisp white shirt underneath.
“Trump’s clothing certainly didn’t help the boardroom pastiche,” Vogue’s article reads. “The first lady wore a black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket with satin trimmed lapels over a white button-up, which she paired with a Ralph Lauren cummerbund and trousers.”
Full portrait of First Lady Melania Trump. (White House)
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“The choice to wear a tuxedo—as opposed to a blazer or blouse—made Trump look more like a freelance magician than a public servant,” Vogue added. “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.”
Trump’s new 2025 portrait strikes a different tone from her official 2017 White House portrait, in which she is slightly smiling in a soft-focus color photo, wearing a black blazer with her arms crossed.
At the time, Trump was criticized for sporting her 25-carat-diamond ring that was reportedly given to her by the president in 2024. Critics said it was insensitive for Trump to wear the massive sparkler, worth an estimated $3 million.
Melania Trump’s digital photography series. (Melania Trump)
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“Unlike the new black-and-white image, Trump’s first portrait was in color, featuring the First Lady—face airbrushed into oblivion—wide-eyed, smiling with a hint of teeth, her arms crossed to display a massive diamond wedding ring,” Vogue said in response. “This time, while the portrait remains more subdued, the Trumps are displaying wealth not through diamond rings, but through the coterie of tech CEOs who sat front row at the 2025 Inauguration, whose combined net worth was over a trillion dollars.”
“Now, attempting a no-nonsense businesswoman approach in her situationally inappropriate tuxedo, it seems that Melania Trump still struggles with sartorial messaging,” Vogue concluded.
Vogue also criticized Ivanka Trump’s inaugural ball gown, a custom black and white Givenchy gown recreated based on the haute couture gown Audrey Hepburn wore in the film “Sabrina.
Ivanka Trump’s dress at the inaugural ball was based on one worn in the film “Sabrina” by actress Audrey Hepburn. (Carlos Barria)
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The white dress featured a fitted bodice and full skirt with black lace detailing, which Trump accessorized with black gloves and diamond jewelry, but her homage to Old Hollywood in the “political realm” was questioned by Vogue.
“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 criticized. “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.”
Fox News’ Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report.
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