Trump lashes out at Vanity Fair for apologizing over Hillary Clinton video
President Trump lashed out at Vanity Fair in a tweet on Thursday morning after the magazine issued an apology for a video of advice aimed at Hillary Clinton, which was seen as sexist for including the suggestion that the 2016 presidential contender “take up knitting.”
“Vanity Fair, which looks like it is on its last legs, is bending over backwards in apologizing for the minor hit they took at Crooked H. Anna Wintour, who was all set to be Amb to Court of St James’s [and] a big fundraiser for CH, is beside herself in grief [and] begging for forgiveness!” Trump tweeted on Thursday morning, seeming to confuse the new editor in chief of Vanity Fair, Radhika Jones, with Wintour, Condé Nast’s artistic director and Vogue editor in chief, (although rumors of Wintour going to London to become U.S. ambassador have long circulated, stretching back to her fund-raising for Barack Obama in his race for the presidency).
The video, which was released earlier this week, showed editors for The Hive, VF.com’s tech and news focused site, sipping Champagne while offering Clinton advice on New Year’s resolutions for 2018. “Take up a new hobby in the new year,” writer Maya Kosoff suggested. “Volunteer work, knitting, improv comedy — literally anything that will keep you from running again.”
Kosoff came under attack for the suggestion that Clinton take up knitting, which was seen as sexist, with people on Twitter declaring that they would cancel their Vanity Fair subscriptions. After being the subject of intense Internet outrage, Kosoff locked her Twitter account and wrote that she would take some time off-line.
Vanity Fair issued an apology, noting that “it was an attempt at humor and we regret that it missed the mark,” but did not remove the video. The magazine has not issued any additional statements.
The entire incident, including the magazine’s apology, was heavily covered by Fox News, which reportedly provides the President with inspiration for his tweets.
Trump had sparred repeatedly with former Vanity Fair editor in chief Graydon Carter, with whom he had decades-long feud that went back to the days of Spy Magazine. But it would seem that Carter’s departure, and replacement by Jones in December, hasn’t made the President any less antagonistic toward the magazine.
