The White House edited First Lady Melania Trump’s biography on WhiteHouse.gov Friday “out of an abundance of caution” that a reference to her clothing line on QVC could be seen as an endorsement, a spokesperson for Trump told CNN.
The page lists information about Trump’s life, including her modeling career and philanthropy. Earlier in the day, however, her QVC jewelry collection was mentioned.
“In April 2010, Melania Trump launched her own jewelry collection, ‘Melania™ Timepieces & Jewelry,’ on QVC,” the biography said.
QVC no longer sells jewelry under the Trump brand and the biography did not link to QVC. A spokeswoman for the company, Rebecca Blank, told CNN Friday that QVC does “not have an active relationship with the brand.”
The Trump spokesperson said the reference to Trump’s “entrepreneurial success” was based on fact and not an endorsement and noted that it was not available for sale.
It’s not the first time a member of the Trump family has been criticized for promoting a Trump brand.
The namesake brand of President Donald Trump’s oldest daughter, Ivanka, emailed a “style alert” featuring a $10,800 bracelet she wore after an appearance alongside her father on “60 Minutes” in November.
Abigail Klem, president of the Ivanka Trump brand, released a statement following the bracelet email that said it was sent by a “well-intentioned marketing employee” following “customary protocol.”
The employee, Klem wrote, “like many of us, is still making adjustments post-election. We are proactively discussing new policies and procedures with all of our partners going forward.”
Ivanka Trump took steps to separate herself from her brand’s social media accounts later that month, and fully stepped away from the business in January.
The President has turned The Trump Organization over to sons Donald Jr. and Eric through his new administration, though ethics watchdogs have urged him to take further steps to distance himself from his businesses.
