Politics - News Analysis

Vogue Editor Refuses to Acknowledge That Melania Trump is First Lady, ‘It’s Michelle Obama’

It appears the editor of Vogue is not a fan of Melania Trump.

During a recent interview for The Economist’s podcast, Vogue editor Anna Wintour refused to acknowledge that Melania Trump is the First Lady, preferring instead to insist that Michelle Obama still sort of is, in the sense that she’s the one Wintour almost certainly wishes were residing in the White House.

In a clip from the interview that went viral, The Economist’s Anne McElvoy asks Wintour to comment on Melania’s wardrobe, pointing out that there is “something so visual about the Trumps” and positing that the First Lady is better dressed than her husband.

To this, Wintour replied, “Well, I think First Lady Michelle Obama was really so incredible in every decision she made about fashion. She supported young American designers. She supported designers, indeed, from all over the world. She was the best ambassador this country could possibly have, in many ways, obviously way beyond fashion —”

McElvoy then cut in to say, “But she’s not the First Lady now. What about the one you have now?”

“And for me, she is the example I admire,” continues Wintour.

This isn’t the first time Wintour has hinted at excluding Melania from her narrative. In April, during an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Wintour was asked why she features more Democratic politicians than Republican ones, to which she said:

“If you’re talking about the first lady Michelle Obama or Senator Kamala Harris, obviously these are women that we feel are icons and inspiring to women from a global perspective. I also feel even more strongly now that this is not a time to try — and I think one has to be fair, one has to look at all sides — but I don’t think it’s a moment not to take a stand … I think you can’t be everything to everybody and I think it’s a time that we live in a world, as you would well know, of fake news … [and] those of us that work at Conde Nast believe that you have to stand up for what you believe in and you have to take a point of view.”

Given that Michelle Obama was featured on three covers and Melania Trump has yet to receive a single one since her husband was elected, the First Lady saw fit to respond. Her rep fired back in a statement, “To be on the cover of Vogue doesn’t define Mrs. Trump, she’s been there, done that long before she was first lady.” (Melania appeared on the cover of Vogue in 2005, on the occasion of her marriage to Donald Trump.)

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meet the author

Nicole Hickman James is a lifelong Democrat and political activist who first cut her teeth as a teenager volunteering for Mike Dukakis’ presidential campaign. She has worked and volunteered for John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, HFA (Hillary For America), and Organizing For Action. She’s passionate about liberal and progressive causes and considers President Obama her favorite president ever. She holds her Bachelor’s from Boston College in Economics and her Master's from Columbia, also in Economics. When not working as a writer, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her three college-aged children.

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