Graydon Carter leaves Vanity Fair after 25 years as editor

The frequent critic of Donald Trump said he was ‘eager to try out this third act thing’

Carter said he wanted to leave while the magazine was in vibrant shape (Getty)

Graydon Carter, perhaps been Donald Trump’s most eloquent critic, is standing down as editor of Vanity Fair – his departure marked by another stinging condemnation of the President.

Mr Carter, 68, said he was standing aside after a quarter of a century at the helm of one of the country’s most influential and celebrated magazines.

“I want to leave while the magazine is on top,” he told The New York Times. “I want to leave while it’s in vibrant shape, both in the digital realm and the print realm. And I wanted to have a third act – and I thought, time is precious.”

Mr Carter has used the magazine – famous for cover photographs that have featured Caitlyn Jenner, a pregnant Demi Moore and a naked Sylvester Stallone – as a vehicle for frequent assaults upon the President.

The day of his departure announcement was marked by another such missive.

“The man is clearly unfit for any kind of public office, let alone the highest office in the land. The majority of the electorate knew this when they went to the voting booths,” he wrote.

In a 1984 issue of GQ, Mr Carter wrote a profile of Mr Trump, then aged 38, and said of him: “The 6ft 2in frame is trim but well-nourished. The hands small and neatly groomed. The suit is blue and stylish – maybe a little too flared in the leg for someone who lives east of the Hudson.

“About the only thing that gives away this striver from an outer borough are his cufflinks: huge mollusks of gold and stone the size of half-dollars.”

The claim that Mr Trump had small hands apparently irked the man who would go on to occupy the White House.

During the Republican primary campaign, rival Marco Rubio took a shot at Mr Trump, saying: “You know what they say about guys with small hands – you can’t trust ‘em.”

Three days later, Mr Trump responded to the innuendo during a debate, marking a new milestone in US political history by referring to the size of his manhood.

“He referred to my hands. If they’re small, something else must be small,” he said of Mr Rubio’s jibe. “I guarantee you there’s no problem.”

Reports said that as Mr Carter stands aside – he himself replaced Tin Brown in the editor’s chair 25 years ago – jockeying will intensify for his successor. Among the names that gave been mentioned are Adam Moss of New York magazine and Janice Min of The Hollywood Reporter. The decision will fall to top executives at Condé Nast, the parent company of the magazine.

Variety said that under Mr Carter the magazine had offered an “arresting mixture” of celebrity profiles that featured people such as George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, frequently photographed by Annie Leibovitz, along with reportage and Washington DC politics.

“I’ve loved every moment of my time here and I’ve pretty much accomplished everything I’ve ever wanted to do,” Mr Carter said in a statement.

“I’m now eager to try out this ‘third act’ thing that my contemporaries have been telling me about, and I figure I’d better get a jump on it.”