Donald Trump's Met Gala Ban Sours A Romantic Memory With Melania
The Met Gala's red carpet represents the who's-who of celebrity circles; the event has even hosted a handful of politicians. Hillary Clinton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez... even Donald Trump (pre-presidency) have attended the soiree. Yet, while Donald shares a special memory with his wife, Melania Trump, from a past gala, that has since been soured by a ban.
Donald could be deemed an OG of fashion's biggest night. He appeared at the Met Gala beginning in the 1980's, when his date was his first wife, Ivana. Over the years, however, Donald's outfit didn't change much (but his date did). The former U.S. president and Melania stepped out on the Met Gala red carpet together for the first time in 2003 and it became an annual outing for the two. We're not kidding! From 2003 to 2012, Melania and Donald didn't skip out on the celebrity-filled fundraising event.
After 2012, however, Donald and Melania were no longer regular attendees and haven't been since. We don't know what initially caused them to stop going, but we know they'll never return to the gala, as Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour made it clear the then-businessman was not welcome back. Some might consider that unfortunate not only because he was a regular attendee, but also because that's where he proposed to his third and current wife.
Donald Trump proposed to Melania Trump at the Met Gala
In 2004, Donald and Melania Trump ultimately garnered more attention than any red carpet look when they got engaged right there at the Met Gala. The night of the gala, Donald popped the question to his now-wife, Melania, with a 15-carat ring. Melania proudly showed off the stunning piece of jewelry while wearing an all-black dress (which just so happens to have landed on our list of the most tragic outfits the Trump family has ever worn).
Still, a year after he got down on one knee, Donald told The New York Times he got the 15-carat ring for a million-dollar discount — it retailed for $1.5 million. He said, "Only a fool would say, 'No thank you, I want to pay a million dollars more for a diamond.'" But Graff Diamonds, which provided Donald with the engagement ring, said his statement wasn't true. The company's chairman, Lauren Graff, told Forbes the businessman was received "no favors" regarding the purchase, aka the supposed discount.
Regardless of the price tag, the night was still memorable, as Melania was happier than ever about the engagement. In 2004, she told the New York Post, "It was a great surprise. We are very happy together." Thanks to the proposal, the Met Gala surely held a special place in Melania and Donald's hearts, but ever since being banned, it's likely to have tainted the bittersweet memory.
Anna Wintour disinvited Donald Trump from the Met
Anna Wintour doesn't play games when it comes to the Met Gala guest list, and if you get on her bad side, she might just boot you off the list like she did with Donald Trump. In 2017, while appearing on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," the Vogue editor-in-chief took part in a risky segment known as "Fill Your Guts or Spill Your Guts." Corden asked Wintour several questions, giving her the option to eat disgusting food if she didn't want to answer any of the inquiries. However, the media executive was willing to spill the tea, and when Corden asked who she would never invite back to the Met Gala, she had a quick response. Wintour laughed before saying, "Donald Trump." Wintour didn't go into further detail about naming Trump, however, as she and Corden quickly moved on to the next question.
We know Trump hasn't attended the event since 2012, but Wintour's 2017 comment confirmed he and the rest of Trump family will never return to the Met Gala. It's unfortunate for the former president, who shared his proposal to Melania at the Met Gala in 2004. If he ever wants to reminisce about the romantic memory, he'll have to look at pictures because Trump's the first person Wintour explicitly named as being banned. Yikes!