He’s been to the gala before and even proposed on the way there once. Unfortunately, this year, Donald Trump wasn’t invited to the Met Gala – and apparently, he hasn’t been for quite some time.
Every year, on the first Monday in May, the biggest stars from fashion and Hollywood line up on the Met Gala red carpet in New York City. But despite the event being one of the most prestigious of its kind globally, one of the most well-known people on the planet was noticeably absent from this year’s guest list: President Donald Trump.
Trump banned from Met Gala
It’s not hard to figure out why Donald Trump is no longer welcome at the Met Gala. Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour — who has been running or co-running the event since 1997 — made it clear a few years ago that Trump wouldn’t be coming back.
“He will never be invited again,” she said during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden back in 2017.
Reports say she made that decision not long after Trump began his first term as president, and that decision hasn’t changed, even with his recent return to the political scene.
Donald Trump and the Met Gala
Some people might remember that Trump used to be a familiar face at the Met Gala. He attended quite often in the 1980s and 1990s, usually showing up with his former wives, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples.
Back in 2004, he proposed to Melania Trump on the way to the event — a moment that grabbed a lot of attention from the American tabloids.
Over the years, though, the Met Gala has shifted in tone, especially when it comes to politics. Anna Wintour has said the event isn’t about politics, but rather about “beauty, creativity, and reflecting history.” Still, in reality, it seems like certain values play a bigger role when deciding who gets invited.
And apparently, Trump isn’t the only one who’s no longer welcome at the Gala.
According to The New York Times, several of the former president’s well-known allies were also missing this year — including Elon Musk, who’s been a regular guest in the past, as well as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg.
This year’s theme was also quite political: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which focused on Black designers and how Black men and women have used fashion to push back against stereotypes.
Cultural critic Louis Piscano said the theme “sends a clear message.”