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Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former aide to Melania Trump, has shed light on Melania’s silence during Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan.
A jury is currently deliberating whether Trump is guilty of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels claims that she had an romantic relationship with Trump in 2006, a claim Trump denies. He has pleaded not guilty, arguing that the case is politically motivated.
Despite many Republican lawmakers and some of Trump’s children, including Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany, showing their support for Trump in court, Melania Trump has notably refrained from commenting or attending the trial.
Wolkoff, once a close confidante of Melania before her abrupt departure from the White House in 2018, offered her insights in an opinion piece for the Daily Beast. She suggested that Melania’s silence is a strategic move to “avoid exposure.”
“Melania Trump is not a mystery. She is composed, stoic, and emotionally armored,” Wolkoff wrote. “Her calm demeanor is a facade to protect her image. She maintains a low profile by choice—her silence serves as her shield.”
Drawing parallels between Melania and Donald Trump, Wolkoff noted their shared survival instincts. “Melania knows exactly who she married and adheres to the same principles. She is a survivor and an opportunist, adept at self-preservation. She has mastered the art of complicity,” Wolkoff explained.
Wolkoff added that Melania consistently downplays the impact of Donald Trump’s often controversial actions. “She will always stand by him, having honed her ability to compartmentalize and control every aspect of her life, always aligning with her predefined narrative,” she said.
Melania Trump severed ties with Wolkoff after revelations that Wolkoff’s event planning company, WIS Media Partners, received $26 million for coordinating Trump’s inauguration. Reports indicated that her firm retained $1.62 million of that sum, which was distributed to over a dozen contractors.
In 2019, Wolkoff told The New York Times that she was not fired and did not receive the amount of money reported. “Was I fired? No. Did I personally receive $26 million or $1.6 million? No. Was I scapegoated? Yes,” she stated.
In response, Stephanie Grisham, then Melania’s spokeswoman, affirmed that Wolkoff’s contract was terminated by the White House. “The White House ended Mrs. Wolkoff’s contract, period,” Grisham said. “I won’t argue semantics over the word ‘severed’ because someone decided to go public with hurt feelings and a bruised ego. As stated previously, I wish Mrs. Wolkoff well.”
Wolkoff later authored a tell-all book, “Melania and Me,” published in 2020, and has since remained a vocal critic of the Trump family.