Vanity Fair claimed Friday that a Twitter post by Donald Trump attacking the magazine has resulted in a dramatic spike in new subscriptions — increasing 100-fold in a single day.
“This was the highest number of subscriptions sold in a single day ever at Condé Nast,” a spokesperson with publisher Condé Nast told Folio magazine.
The tweet in question, made Thursday morning by the president-elect, called out the magazine’s editor-in-chief, with whom he’s had a longstanding feud.
“Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers of @VanityFairMagazine. Way down, big trouble, dead! Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!”
The tweet appears to be a reaction to Vanity Fair political reporter Tina Nguyen, who on Wednesday published a scathing dining review of a Trump Tower steakhouse, trollingly titled, “Trump Grill Could Be the Worst Restaurant in America. And it reveals everything you need to know about our next president.”
According to crowdsourcing review site Yelp.com, the Trump Grill averages a 2-star rating (out of a possible 5), although a fair number of reviews since Mr. Trump began his run for the presidency are questionably partisan in either direction, and the Vanity Fair review controversy only adds to the confusion.
As for Vanity Fair, Mr. Trump’s tweet notwithstanding, Condé Nast says the magazine’s performance in 2016 has been rather good, with a 2 percent increase in year-over-year revenues and an anticipated overall profit margin for the year, Folio reported.
What’s more, the magazine’s circulation is up 2.8 percent, according to the AAM statements for June 2015/2016, Folio reported. The mid-year audit showed the magazine’s circulation at 1,232,588 — up from 1,197,922 in 2015.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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