California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked Melania Trump this week after reports that Vanity Fair considered putting her on its cover, joking with a fake magazine image that crowned him “The American King” while the original parody of Melania called her “The American Queen.”
The first fake cover showed Melania in a crown with the line “Fashion, power & the art of saying nothing.” Newsom’s spoof teased “Hair, Gel and the Art of Being So Handsome.”
His press office posted it on X with the all-caps message “AN HONOR! THANK YOU!!!” — copying Donald Trump’s online style.
AN HONOR! THANK YOU!!! pic.twitter.com/X0uUq1PATG
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 29, 2025
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It was the latest jab in Newsom’s summer-long trolling campaign against the Trump family.
The idea of a Melania cover came from new editor Mark Guiducci, who was picked by fashion icon Anna Wintour. He wanted to reach conservative readers. But many staffers were furious. One editor told the Daily Mail, “I will walk out the motherf—ing door, and half my staff will follow me.” Another said, “If I have to work bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s, I’ll do it.”
Melania rejected the idea. A source told the New York Post she laughed at the proposal and turned it down in July. “She doesn’t have time to be sitting in a photo shoot,” the source said. “Her priorities as first lady are far more important. These people don’t deserve her anyway.”
Conservative commentators cheered the possibility of a Melania cover. Fox News host Laura Ingraham at first believed the fake image was real. “Let the meltdown begin. Love it,” she wrote. Later she admitted she had been tricked but said the backlash was still funny.
On Fox & Friends, Ainsley Earhardt said she would buy several copies if Melania was featured. Brian Kilmeade urged the magazine to track down the staffer who leaked anger to the press.
Melania has never been on the U.S. edition of Vanity Fair. She appeared on the Mexican edition in February 2017 after Donald Trump’s inauguration, a move that also drew criticism.
For Newsom, the parody is part of a larger strategy. He has rebranded himself online by mocking Trump’s style. He writes in all caps. He sells red hats that declare “Newsom was right about everything!” He sells mugs and shirts that copy Trump slogans.
And it seems to be paying off. An Emerson College poll shows Newsom’s support among Democrats has doubled since he began his trolling campaign. Allies see the strategy as a way to energize his base and keep him in the national spotlight.
Featured image via X screengrab
