In the piece, Hannah Jackson wrote that Melania “looked more like she was guest starring on an episode of The Apprentice than assuming the role of first lady of the United States” taking specific aim at the Dolce & Gabbana (of course) tuxedo jacket, white button-up, and Ralph Lauren cummerbund she chose for the portrait.
“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,” Jackson argued. She further theorized that Melania couldn’t “abandon theatrics” for the portrait given her longtime residence is a “gold-encrusted penthouse” and that her fame is “so intertwined with a reality-television empire.”
“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 in the front row at the 2025 inauguration, whose combined net worth was over a trillion dollars,” Jackson concluded, referencing Trump’s 2017 portrait, in which she appeared “airbrushed into oblivion.”
Not only is Jackson not wrong, I’d argue she’s actually being kind. If you asked me, I’d probably write that Trump looks like a woman performing power to cope with the fact that she’s actually beholden to the daily whims of her unchecked, undiagnosed husband. Or she appears to be pantomiming 2014-era girl bossism because it predated Trump’s presidency and marked the last time she experienced joy. Actually, I think I’d conclude that the portrait is just fucking boring, likely because the women who marry men like Trump forgo every last bit of individuality, self-respect, and valor starting the very second their fontanelles form and wind up being as hollow as the Earth according to Elon Musk by age 25.
Vogue‘s decision to run the op-ed is a bit of a surprise, though, considering its editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, hob-knobbed with the Trumps not so long ago, as multiple Getty images show. The inevitable backlash, too, is something I imagine might give editors pause. Since the op-ed was published, Trump’s legions of followers have taken to tearing Jackson apart on Twitter in any way they can.
“@voguemagazine are haters and prove their positions are purely political. You all worshipped Jill Biden! LOL,” one user tweeted. “Hey, just wanted to say ‘Fuck you’ to Hannah Jackson and @voguemagazine. We’re so sorry that you can’t slobber all over upholstery dresses and orthopedic shoes for the next four years. But, please, keep being partisan hacks instead of a fashion magazine, so we can see you fall by the waste side, like so many others. Into the bin, @voguemagazine. You won’t be missed,” tweeted another.
I’m of the mind that when you have these cretins foaming at the mouth over a mildly critical take, it’s a win—albeit a very small one. So, good for Jackson, I guess. That said, why not go a little lower next time?
