The new top editor at Vogue has declined to share whether she would put Melania Trump on the magazine’s cover in light of recent controversy over the issue at Vanity Fair.
Chloe Malle, 39, is set to succeed Anna Wintour as the head of editorial content at Vogue, according to a Tuesday announcement from the magazine’s parent company, Condé Nast. Wintour, 75, will still serve as the chief content officer at Condé Nast and the global editorial director of Vogue.
Malle told The New York Times she’s excited to direct content that gives readers “original, witty, irreverent, joyful points of view on things.” But when the Times asked whether she would ever feature President Donald Trump’s wife on the cover, Malle declined to answer.
This comes after Mark Guiducci, the new top editor of Vanity Fair, which is also owned by Condé Nast, said he’s potentially interested in putting the First Lady on the magazine’s cover, according to Semafor. Some staffers were upset about the suggestion, and one editor threatened to “walk out” if it came to fruition, according to a report by The Daily Mail.
Last week, a fake Vanity Fair cover featuring Melania Trump also circulated on X, amassing thousands of likes and retweets. The fabricated image was shared by several prominent conservatives, including some who appeared to initially take it at face value.
“I can’t wait to see all of the liberal meltdowns over this on TikTok,” MAGA activist Charlie Kirk wrote on X.
He later added a follow-up post: “We need to meme the cover into existence.”
Fox News host Laura Ingraham similarly posted the fake cover, writing: “Let the meltdown begin. Love it.” She later re-shared the post, adding another line: “Real or not…hilarious to read the Left’s reaction.”
Vogue also faced conservative backlash in January after publishing a scathing review of the first lady’s latest White House portrait.
“Indeed, Trump looked more like she was guest starring on an episode of The Apprentice than assuming the role of first lady of the United States,” the outlet wrote, before comparing her outfit to a magician’s uniform.
The Independent has contacted Condé Nast for comment.
