He’s attended the gala in the past and once even proposed on the way there. This year, sadly, Donald Trump was not welcome at the Met Gala – and reportedly hasn’t been for a long time.

Each year on the first Monday in May, the biggest names in fashion and Hollywood gather on the Met Gala red carpet in New York City. Yet despite the event laying claim to being one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world, one of the most famous individuals on the planet was missing from this year’s guest list: President Donald Trump.

Trump banned from Met Gala
One doesn’t have to look very far at all to find out just why Trump wasn’t welcome. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has chaired or co-chaired the Met Gala every year since 1997, outlined a few years ago that the two-time POTUS would never attend another gala.

“He will never be invited again,” she told The Late Late Show with James Corden back in 2017.

Reportedly that was a decision she made shortly after Trump began his first term as president – and the ruling still stands today after the start of his second stint.

Donald Trump and the Met Gala
Readers may be aware that Trump has a colorful history with the Met Gala. He was a regular attendee during the ’80s and ’90s, alongside his ex-wives, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples.

In 2004 he then proposed to Melania Trump on his way to the event, a move that generated plenty of interest among the American tabloid press.

Over time, however, the nature of the gala – and its relation to politics – has changed. Wintour has emphasized that the event is not about politics, but rather about “beauty, creativity, and reflecting history”. In practice, though, it would appear that some values weigh more than others when it comes to selecting the gala’s guest list.

And Trump, it would appear, is not the only person to be banned from attending the event.

As per the New York Times, several of the president’s well-known allies were also notably missing from this year’s gala. This includes Elon Musk – himself a frequent guest in the past – Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg.

This year’s theme was, perhaps fittingly, politically charged: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, with a focus on black designers and how black men and women have used fashion to challenge stereotypes.

According to cultural critic Louis Piscano, the theme “sends a clear message”.