The One Thing Jill Biden & Michelle Obama Had That Melania Trump Never Did As First Lady

Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, and Melania Trump have one very unique thing in common: They know what it's like to be the first lady of the United States. That doesn't mean, though, that this title has afforded each of them the same honors. Unlike Michelle and Jill, Melania never graced the cover of Vogue Magazine during her time as first lady.

Barack Obama took office in 2009 and left the White House in 2017. During his time in office, Michelle was Vogue's cover girl not once, but three times. The trend of first ladies appearing in the pages and on the cover of Vogue dates all the way back to 1929, when Lou Henry Hoover, Herbert Hoover's wife, appeared in the May issue. Thirteen first ladies followed in her footsteps. Many like Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, and Hillary Clinton, appeared in more than one issue. Most recently, Jill scored the cover of the August 2024 issue. She had already appeared in the July 2019, August 2021, and Winter 2023 issues.

Gracing any page of Vogue is, of course, an honor. Yet, the role of cover girl is particularly special. Despite the fact that many first ladies across party lines were featured in Vogue, Melania didn't have the same honor while Donald Trump was in the White House. This is noteworthy, not only because Melania Trump is a former model, but also because she graced the cover many years prior to becoming first lady.

Melania Trump was featured on the cover of Vogue Magazine's February 2005 issue, wearing her Christian Dior couture wedding gown. The headline read, "Donald Trump's New Bride." Beyond the cover, the issue featured fourteen pages about Melania and Donald and their opulent wedding. When Donald took office, however, Melania no longer made the cut. In 2019, in the midst of Donald's presidency, Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, explained to CNN that when it comes to who is featured in the iconic magazine, "Obviously these are women that we feel are icons and inspiring to women from a global perspective." She added, "I also feel even more strongly now that this is a time to try and — I think that 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."

Since this is Wintour's view of who should appear in Vogue, it's not exactly a surprise that Melania never scored the cover during Donald's presidency. After all, Wintour endorsed Hillary Clinton when she ran against Donald in 2016. Wintour is also the longtime organizer of the Met Gala and has ensured that Donald is forever banned from the prestigious event. 

While on "The Megyn Kelly Show" in September 2023, Donald Trump was asked about Melania Trump not appearing on Vogue's cover during his presidency. "It's so sad. But she doesn't care," Donald said of his wife, per The Wrap. "She's been on the cover of the magazines for a long time, and she was on the cover of Vogue before. And she was actually very friendly with Anna Wintour. But once I ran for politics, that was the end of that."

However, in a secret recording that was taken of Melania in 2018, she told her ex-aide and close friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, that Vogue actually did make her an offer. Per Newsweek, Melania said, "Vogue said like, oh, we want to do a profile. Profile? F*** you, profile. I don't need no profile ... It might be a cover. I'm like, might be a cover? I don't give a f*** about Vogue and any magazine." In her book, "Melania and Me," Wolkoff explained, "Melania wasn't going to do anything for Vogue or any other magazine if she wasn't going to be on the cover. 'Give me a break!' she texted. 'Forget it.'" So, while it seems that the coveted Vogue first lady cover wasn't a guarantee, it was Melania who reportedly gave up her chance to be featured at all.