Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty; Timur Emek/Getty
Echoing PresidentDonald Trump‘s frequent disapproval of any press he perceives as insulting, First LadyMelania Trump‘s team is criticizingVogueand its editor,Anna Wintour, after Wintour gave an interview to CNN last week that did not mention Mrs. Trump.
In the sit-down with Christiane Amanpourpublished on Tuesday, Wintour discussed a wide range of topics includingVogue‘s political coverage, which has largely focused on Democratic figures such as former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“You have to stand up for what you believe in and you have to take a point of view,” Wintour said.
“I think it’s very, very important to have a point of view,” she said. “We profile women in the magazine that we believe in the stand that they’re taking on issues. We support them in the fact that we feel they are leaders. Particularly after the defeat of Secretary Clinton in 2016, we believe that women should have a leadership position and we intend to support them.”
Referring to Obama and Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate for the presidency, Wintour said, “These are women we feel are icons and inspiring to women from a global perspective.”
RELATED VIDEO: Does She or Doesn’t She? Melania Trump Speaks Out After ‘I Really Don’t Care’ Jacket Scandal
A Fox News videopublished Fridaydescribed Wintour as “overlook[ing]” Mrs. Trump.
That same day, ina statement to Fox Newsand later shared with PEOPLE, Mrs. Trump’s spokeswoman sharply criticized Wintour’s CNN interview andVogue.
“To be on the cover ofVoguedoesn’t define Mrs. Trump, she’s been there, done that long before she was first lady,” Stephanie Grisham said. “Her role as first lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover. This just further demonstrates how biased the fashion magazine industry is, and shows how insecure and small-minded Anna Wintour really is. Unfortunately, Mrs. Trump is used to this kind of divisive behavior.”
Wintour was diplomatic about the possibility of putting Mrs. Trump in the magazine after her husband won the presidency in 2016.
“We have a tradition of always covering whoever is the first lady at Vogue and I can’t imagine that this time would be any different,” Wintourtold theWall Street Journalin February 2017.
Since her husband’s political career launched in earnest in 2015, Mrs. Trump has generally avoided his same incendiary style — including frequently attacking others on Twitter.
Mrs. Trump’s signature campaign as first lady, “Be Best,” includes anti-bullying efforts,which critics have called hypocriticalgiven the president’s behavior.
Mrs. Trump has spoken out in the past about what she feels is unfair scrutiny of her.
“I could say I’m the most bullied person on the world,” shetold ABC News last year.
source: people.com
