• by Sara Guaglione , November 11, 2016

People magazine editor-in-chief Jess Cagle is defending its recent magazine cover story featuring president-elect Donald Trump. The publication received criticism and threats of a reader boycott for the allegedly “sympathetic” portrayal.

Many readers voiced their surprise that the cover story, titled “His life, his family and his astonishing journey to the White House,” was published by People, considering the magazine recently ran a story by a former People reporter, Natasha Stoynoff, who recounted an alleged sexual assault by Trump in 2005.

In a memo to staff, Cagle wrote: "I assure you that the cover on the president-elect is in no way a celebration or endorsement of this deeply polarizing figure. And we continue to stand steadfastly by Natasha.”

Cagle noted some readers said they were “sickened” to see Trump on the cover, while others were “thrilled.”

“It seemed wrong to put anyone other than the president-elect on the cover this week. He was elected president. We can't pretend it didn't happen,” he said.

The article describes Trump's victory as a "stunning upset, capping off the most polarizing presidential campaign in modern U.S. history." Though the five-page feature does briefly mention Stoynoff, it focuses on Trump’s life, such as his childhood in Queens, New York, and his time at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Since Trump won the presidential election, People magazine has taken a lighter approach to the president-elect and his family. For example, the magazine published a slideshow of daughter Ivanka titled “27 Photos of Ivanka Trump and Her Family That Are Way Too Cute," and another of his wife Melania and her outfits on the campaign trail.