Glamorous MAGA partygoer on New York Magazine cover revealed as aspiring law student known among sorority sisters as 'madam president'

The glamorous woman featured on the front page of a controversial New York Magazine piece about the 'casually cruel' up-and-coming MAGA generation is an aspiring law student referred to as 'Madam President.'

Anna Claire Howland, 21, became an overnight sensation after a photograph she was in was chosen for the piece chronicling an inauguration party in Washington.

The article sparked a wave of backlash from Republicans and MAGA faithful after the event's host accused the publication of cropping black people out of the photo in an effort to make the pro-Trump party appear all white.

In the picture, a glowing Howland smiled from ear to ear and clutched a glass of red wine, with fans going on to describe her beauty as their 'Roman Empire' and begin an internet-wide search to track her down.

Now, it has been revealed that the glamorous partygoer is a junior at Southern Methodist University majoring in psychology and minoring in business.

The 21-year-old was raised in Mountain Brook, Alabama - often considered the most affluent suburb in the entire state - by her mother Mary Beth and real estate developer father, Rob Howland.

Her family's sprawling 6,800-square-foot mansion was once featured in Birmingham Home & Garden, detailing the 'dominant arcades and limestone exterior' which make the unique home so breathtaking.

Mountain Brook is often described as an 'old money' region that 'wants to be left alone.'

In 2024, Howland served as chapter president for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.

In an appreciation post celebrating Howland, the sorority revealed she had ambitions to continue with higher education after completing her degree to pursue another  degree in law.  

'Anna Claire likes to try new restaurants, read, crochet, go on walks with friends, and cook in her free time,' the post read.

'When asked what KKG means to her, Anna Claire said, "Kappa has transformed my entire college experience, and I know it will only continue to positively impact my life in the years to come. This chapter gave me a group of girls who I share values and countless memories with, which is irreplaceable. I'm proud and so so grateful to be sisters with girls who are this loving, supportive, and bold!"'

In response to the post were dozens of other chapter members and friends describing Howland as 'Madam President' and 'the best ever' to lead them. 

The 21-year-old was a high school cheerleader who shares photos traveling the world, and has publicly detailed her journey with religion.

She was baptized at a ranch in North Carolina in 2016 and went on to attend each summer in the years that followed.

Howland described the 'honor' of serving as her sorority president on LinkedIn, writing: 'It is both an honor and a privilege to serve the Gamma Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma as their President for 2024. 

'In this position, I lead and represent 243 collegiate women and manage an executive board of 24 members. 

'Additionally, I communicate regularly with campus officials, Kappa alumnae, Kappa headquarters as well as our chapter's Advisory, Standards, and House Boards.'

Howland is yet to publicly comment on her newfound fame, after X was set alight with MAGA fans swooning over her picture. 

She attended the MAGA event alongside her sister, Mary Louise. Her mom, Mary Beth, was also pictured at celebratory events from inauguration weekend.

'Bottom left is my Roman Empire,' Barstool's Jack Mac wrote, sharing the photo of her.

Another admitted he sounded 'like a simp' as he described the woman as 'legit beautiful. Could be a low tier model or influencer I'm sure.'

In response to Mac's post, he was inundated with messages warning he wouldn't 'have a chance' with the woman and describing her as in a 'league of her own.'

'Thanks to this picture, I just joined the Republican party and I am not even American,' another joked.

The author of the piece referenced the attendees' good looks throughout the article after experiencing the jubilation firsthand at Butterworth's bistro alongside young Republicans celebrating Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Guests were described in the article as 'young, gleeful and casually cruel.' 

'As I was once informed, "These young conservative parties are 80 percent men and 20 percent the most beautiful women you've ever seen,"' the journalist wrote.

'Many are hot enough to be extras in the upcoming American Psycho remake,' referring to the movie about young urban professional in the 80s. 

While some liberals may be picturing the Kimberly Guilfoyle's of the world, NY Magazine wrote that it was abundantly clear 'in this house, Melania is Mother.'

'Their makeup is subtle, their hair only gently blown out, their faces not noticeably Botoxed.

'The men look like Pete Hegseth, in bow ties and black suits, with clean-shaven faces. The women are almost all out of their league. 

The electric scene - and attendees - were described as a new wave of Trump supporters who have broken free from the mold cast in 2016.

'Among the tourists from Tampa, the donors, and the last politicians Trump whipped into submission, one can also witness the emerging influence of a newer type of conservative,' the reporter wrote.

'They are not disenfranchised or working class or anti elite or many of the other adjectives used to describe Trump supporters since 2016. Rather, they are young, imposingly well connected, urban, and very online.

'They are crypto nerds and influencer girlies and recent maha (Make America Hot Again) converts and gays of all stripes, plus your standard-fare Joe Rogan-listening bros. Few of them would call themselves Republican.'

But the publication has been slammed for cropping the image to remove any person of color - making it appear like the only 'casually cruel' Trump fans in attendance were all white.

Party host CJ Pearson, a black conservative activist and political advisor, described the article and photo choice as 'insane.'

'This is insane,' he wrote on X. 'I hosted this event and @NYMag intentionally left me out of their story because it would have undermined their narrative that MAGA is some racist cult.'

Another attendee said: 'I was at this party as were MANY other Conservative media influencers who are Black, Latino, Asian, etc.'

A third added: 'This is low.' 

The cover photo featured glamorous, young white partygoers dressed in fancy gowns and tuxedos, grinning with drinks in hand as they celebrated.

Promoting the piece, the NY Mag X account wrote the story was 'on the young, gleeful, confident, and casually cruel Trumpers who, after conquering Washington, have their sights set on the rest of America.'

But quickly the full-length photograph featured on the cover began spreading, and eagle-eyed viewers noticed there were several black attendees in the picture who weren't visible in the final crop.

A trio of black men on the left side of the frame were cropped entirely, while an ethnically ambiguous man's face was covered by clever placing of the subtitle: The Cruel Kids' Table.

The author of the article made reference in their piece twice to the MAGA cohort's 'whiteness.'

First, they wrote: 'Almost everyone is white.'

Later in the piece, quoting an attendee at one of the inauguration parties, they added: ''Have you noticed the entire room is white?' an older woman in an updo and a silver sequined gown asked me, though it wasn't entirely clear whether she thought that was a good thing or a bad thing.'

The journalist has since made their X account private in the wake of mounting MAGA backlash.

'Why did they intentionally omit conservatives of color? Including the host?' one critic asked.

'Selective and intentionally discriminatory cropping,' another added.