Why Did Melania Trump Decline The Vogue Cover That She Was Once Offered

Melania Trump happens to be the only former First Lady of the US in the recent past to not have made it on the iconic fashion bible aka Vogue cover during her time in the White House. But there’s a good reason—she was reportedly not guaranteed the cover.

Recent reports suggest that Donald Trump’s wife was keen on being on the cover of the globally renowned fashion magazine, but ended up turning down her shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the magazine because she wasn't guaranteed the cover, cites a recent report in Daily Mail. The popular rumor was testified by Melania’s former bestie-turned author Stephanie Winston Wolkoff in her bombshell read, "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady."

Winston Wolkoff further alleged in her book, that “Vogue reached out to Melania, hoping to schedule an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot of the First Lady in the White House, with writer Rob Haskell shadowing her for a few days to write a profile. All that sounded great, but the magazine could not guarantee that Melania would appear on the cover.”

The author, who stepped down from her post as an advisor, alleged that “For the record, not all First Ladies are put on the cover of Vogue. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, yes. Laura and Barbara Bush, no. Melania wasn’t going to do anything for Vogue or any other magazine if she wasn’t going to be on the cover.”

It was further alleged that Melania was happy about her decision to give the shooting opportunity with Leibovitz a miss after she went ahead and shot Trump’s alleged ex-mistress and porn star Stormy Daniels for the magazine’s October 2018 issue.

Melania's absence from Vogue and other major glossy magazines in the US drew ire from Trump and his Republican supporters throughout his presidency. Trump lambasted the media for not giving Melania a cover, and expressed his outrage by tweeting a caustic comment that called right-wing publication Breitbart, the ‘elitist snobs in the fashion press.' Trump added that his wife is 'the greatest of all time' and labeled the magazines as 'fake news.'

Melania allegedly hit back at Wintour for throwing shade over the speculations about not having her on the cover of the fashion magazine. "To be on the cover of Vogue doesn't define Mrs. Trump, she's been there, done that long before she was First Lady," said her spokeswoman at the time, Stephanie Grisham, as reported by Daily Mail.

Whether Melania intentionally turned down the opportunity to be on Vogue or regrets the choice, one thing is certain--Jill Biden clinched the opportunity that the former First Lady yearned for. The 70-year-old looked resplendent on the August cover, which was shot by Leibovitz at the White House.

Jill donned a regal $2,690 navy blue flowered Oscar de la Renta gown for the cover photo, which appears to have been shot on the Truman Balcony of the White House. Her debut cover story went live on Tuesday morning and was inspiring to say the least, reported The Sun. The cover deep-dived into various parts into the Bidens’ lives. Written by Vogue’s contributor Jonathan Van Meter, a part of Jill's interview took place in the White House Rose Garden.