Melania Trump never posed for the Vanity Fair cover that had MAGA world cheering. The picture that went viral was a fake.
For days, Trump supporters online shared what looked like a glossy cover of the first lady crowned in gold. The image was praised as elegant, powerful, and long overdue. Fox News hosts joined in, with Laura Ingraham tweeting “let the meltdown begin.”
But the cover was not real. It came from Gary Franchi, a MAGA YouTube host who admitted he made it with artificial intelligence.
The hype started last week when Semafor reported that Vanity Fair’s new editor, Mark Guiducci, was open to putting Melania on a future cover. That tiny detail set off a storm in right-wing media.
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On Fox & Friends, Brian Kilmeade demanded that the Vanity Fair editor who objected be “outed and fired.” His co-host Ainsley Earhardt said she would buy “several editions” if Melania appeared on the magazine.
Conservatives ran with it. Soon, a fake cover appeared online. It showed Melania in a gold crown with the words “The American Queen” splashed across the front. The post claimed it had been shot by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz and included props like “47 white doves and a gold-plated eagle.”
Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA shared it with excitement. “We need to meme the cover into existence,” he wrote. He also tagged the account Libs of TikTok, urging them to spread it further.
We need to meme the cover into existence 😂😂
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 28, 2025
Laura Ingraham posted it on X, saying “let the meltdown begin.”
Let the meltdown begin.
Love it. pic.twitter.com/6IjOajexGE
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) August 29, 2025
A short time later, she admitted it was fake but insisted the reaction from liberals still made it worth sharing.
The truth came out quickly. Franchi confessed on his YouTube channel that he made the cover himself. “I actually made that cover with AI,” he said with a laugh. “But the facts are the same. I did it to troll the left because they are melting down over this.”
In reality, the next issue of Vanity Fair will feature Jennifer Aniston, not Melania Trump. The magazine announced it weeks ago.
The fake image did more than just fool people. It tapped into years of frustration from Trump supporters who complain that Melania has not been treated fairly by fashion magazines. They often rage online that Michelle Obama was given multiple covers while Melania was ignored.
California governor Gavin Newsom used the moment to mock the right. His team posted their own parody Vanity Fair cover, showing him as “The King” with the headline “Hair, Gel and the Art of Being so Handsome.” The post read: “AN HONOR! THANK YOU!!!”
AN HONOR! THANK YOU!!! pic.twitter.com/X0uUq1PATG
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 29, 2025
This was not the first time a Trump has been tied to a fake magazine cover. In 2017, The Washington Post revealed that Donald Trump had displayed a fake TIME cover in his golf clubs. TIME later asked him to take it down.
Featured image via X screengrab
