Melania Trump's Former Aide Reacts To Ex-FLOTUS' Absence From Husband Donald's Victory Party
Melania Trump was noticeably absent during her husband Donald Trump's Super Tuesday victory party, but her former aide, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, suggested it shouldn't be a big deal.
Melania's absence from Trump's recent victory party raised eyebrows, with some speculating their marriage was probably on the rocks. Wolkoff, an event planner and Vogue staffer who was brought on as Melania's unpaid adviser at the beginning of the Trump administration, commented on the incident by sharing a screenshot of a report from Page Six with the headline "Melania Trump missing from Donald's Super Tuesday victory party, sparks marital woes concerns."
Wolkoff reacted to the headline, saying Melania's absence should not be a big deal at all because she didn't need to be there.
"WARNING Melania Trump was NOT at Donald's victory party because she did NOT have to be. His supporters do NOT care if she is by his side or NOT, so now she does NOT have to be," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "NOThing more, NOThing less."
The post seemingly fueled the marital crisis rumors, with many speculating that Trump and Melania could be living separate lives.
"[T]hose two live separate lives," one commented.
Another added, "They apparently live two separate lives. She seems to be a gold digger, just staying married for that money."
"We all know his marriage is a sham, and his wife can't stand him," a third person claimed.
In an interview with "BBC Newsnight" in 2020, Wolkoff was asked whether Trump and Melania's marriage was a "magic moment" or "making a deal." The host wanted to know if she believed it was a "transaction."
"I do, I do believe it's a transactional marriage," the "Melania and Me" author said. "Donald, you know, Donald got arm candy. The Vogue cover legitimized Melania, which legitimized Donald as well, and Melania got two dynamic decades."
She continued, "I mean, she was a young model striving. She didn't have the success yet; she met Donald, she married, she had a son, she became an American citizen, and 10 years after that, she's the first lady of the United States, so I do believe it was a magic moment, and I also believe it was a made-for-tv moment."
Wolkoff penned "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady," which detailed her friendship and falling out with Melania. In an interview with The New York Times, she claimed she was "fired" despite being an unpaid FLOTUS adviser and was allegedly "thrown under the bus."
Meanwhile, Melania's chief of staff and spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, dismissed Wolkoff's claims in the book.
"This book is not only wildly self-aggrandizing, it's just not truthful," Grisham said in an email to USA Today. "It is an exercise in bizarre twisting of the truth and misguided blame for the sake of self-pity. It's unfortunate and concerning that she's overstated their friendship and her very brief role in the White House to this degree."
Melania also seemingly clapped back at Wolkoff when she announced that she would be hosting a round table days after Wolkoff's book was released. "I encourage the media to focus & report on the nation's drug crisis, not on delusional & malicious gossip," the former first lady said.