There are so many juicy tidbits and crazy revelations in Michael Wolff’s new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, it’s hard to keep them straight. But a few stand out among the fashion industry in particular, including claims made about former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
According to Fire and Fury, when Wintour met with the then-president-elect at Trump Tower last year, she “suggested that she become Trump’s ambassador to the Court of St. James’s,” which is the official title for the U.S. ambassador to the U.K.
This is not the first time Wintour has reportedly positioned herself for the job. The rumors date back to 2009, after she did heavy fundraising for Barack Obama. According to a Times story in January 2013 following his reelection, Wintour also allegedly put her name in the hat.
Back then, Trump was rooting for her. “I am happy to hear that Pres. Obama is considering giving Anna Wintour an ambassadorship,” he tweeted in December of 2012. “She is a winner and really smart!”
In December 2017, however, Trump changed his tune. After a controversial Vanity Fair video on Hillary Clinton went viral, he tweeted that Wintour was “all set” to become ambassador, with “a big fundraiser for CH,” or “Crooked Hillary.” Now, she’s “beside herself in grief and begging for forgiveness!”
According to Wolff, when Obama didn’t give Wintour the job, she “closely aligned herself with Hillary Clinton.” And then, when Clinton didn’t win, that’s when she reached out to Trump.
“Trump was inclined to entertain the idea,” Wolff writes. But, he quotes Steve Bannon, “fortunately … there was no chemistry.”
When Business Insider reached out for comment regarding Wintour’s ties to Trump specifically, a representative for the Vogue editor denied Fire and Fury’s claims, calling them “laughably preposterous.”
“I think it’s pretty clear where Anna stands politically,” the rep added.