9 Times The Trump World Women Took Fashion Inspo From Grandma's Throw Pillows

Sure, we all have stuff in our closets that we should have given away a long time ago — or better yet, never bought in the first place. Like the rest of us, the Trump family has been caught wearing some outdated outfits over the years, and the women in President Donald Trump's inner circle are often guilty of doing the same. But what makes many of the ladies in Trumpworld stand out is their tendency to gravitate toward the tweedy fabrics and garish patterns that we typically see on a grandma's sofa or throw pillows. 

Unique, but also a subtle way of showing they're out of touch with the rest of the world. These are just a few examples of times the MAGA women have glommed their fashion inspo from Home Goods sofa accessories. Suffice it to say that, on the below evidence, we're sure to see more floral fails and bouclé boo-boos in the future.

As one would expect from a former model, the first lady's personal style is usually on point. There have been exceptions, however, and one of the most glaring ones was when Melania Trump wore eye-popping floral pants to the annual White House Congressional Picnic. The chintz-like pattern was as old-fashioned as they come, not to mention the pants seemed to be just a trifle too tight for Melania. Thankfully, the lunch was served at tables and not out on the lawn; no dry cleaner would ever have been able to get grass stains off those trousers.

Donald Trump gave Alina Habba a new job once he took office, which naturally raised a few eyebrows at the time. Habba was formerly the president's personal lawyer, but she now dispenses justice as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. But being a couple of hundred miles away from DC hasn't shielded Habba from MAGA World fashion blunders. On a visit to New York's Drug Enforcement Administration Lab, the controversial attorney jazzed up her otherwise neutral ensemble with an attention-grabbing jacket. This nubbly-looking pink-and-blue fabric would have worked equally well as a throw for a sofa.

Along with the first lady, Attorney General Pam Bondi attended services at the White House Rose Garden for the National Day of Prayer on May 1, 2025. There are likely several things she might have prayed for, and we're hoping that one of them was the discernment to choose her wardrobe more wisely in future. Bondi's pale yellow pantsuit washed her out completely, and the shirt she paired it with didn't help. In addition to being too matchy-matchy in color, her retro blouse dated the whole look. It was the kind of hip, mid-century modern design you would have seen upholstering a minimalist Scandinavian chair 70 years ago. Maybe it reminded Bondi of her own grandparents' home?

There's no in-between zone for large floral patterns on clothes. Either they look spectacular, or else they call up horrifying memories of plastic-covered sofas and hard candy in a dish. The grannycore aesthetic seems especially strong in dresses with dark backgrounds, as in the one Lauren Boebert wore here while posing with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis back in 2021. The dress she wore to address the Colorado Congress in July 2025, seen below, was even worse. The rose print is so outdated, you can almost smell the scented talcum powder.

Usha Vance has undergone a complete style transformation since husband JD Vance was first tapped as Donald Trump's vice president, trading her neutral clothing shades for more daring colors. Yet not even she has escaped the Trump women's scatter-cushion curse entirely. Usha donned a gray dress with an enormous floral pattern to proudly listen to JD declare victory in the Ohio governor's race back in 2022. Three years later, she assumed the new title of SLOTUS, where the lawyer has done her best to set herself apart from the rest of the MAGA crowd. There have been a couple of missteps along the way, including the one seen below. Usha's ill-fitting blazer didn't help counteract the skirt she wore, a garish floral number that was somehow equal parts summery and so-so.

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Ironically, nobody in President Donald Trump's inner circle embodies the Nana aesthetic more thoroughly than its youngest member. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tries to avoid appearing too inexperienced for her demanding, high-profile job by wearing sensible pantsuits and dresses almost exclusively. More often than not, though, her chosen outfits have decidedly old-fashioned vibes. In addition to her preference for draping dowdy cardigans over knee-length dresses, Leavitt also frequently appears in the kinds of tweeds and bouclés not usually associated with Gen Z style. Not only are the fabrics unflattering, they also clearly don't have the desired effect. In a July 2025 interview with the "Ruthless Podcast," the White House staffer revealed that her boss calls her "honey" — a rather condescending pet name suggesting that Trump doesn't take her very seriously.

On the other end of the spectrum, one of the older women in the president's sphere is least likely to go for the throw-pillow look. Kimberly Guilfoyle's inappropriate outfits typically draw attention for either being too revealing or for oddly cutesy details like bow appliqués. But there was at least one occasion on which the former Fox News host somehow managed to combine girlishness with grandma chic. At a March 2025 fundraiser for the Big Dog Rescue Ranch, Donald Trump Jr.'s former fiancée appeared in a white minidress with cap sleeves. The frock showed off her killer figure, but the textured cloth and fringe were straight out of living-room-accessory-land. Even the rhinestone buttons would have better suited a fussy couch cushion. It remains to be seen whether her appointment as the U.S. ambassador to Greece brings with it an evolution of her style to something more Grecian.