Melania Trump’s ex-staffer bombs about her marriage to Donald
A former confidante of Melania Trump made an eyebrow-raising claim about the former First Lady’s relationship with Donald Trump, amid swirling rumors about their marriage.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who was once a senior advisor to Melania, posted an excerpt from The Apprentice on Sunday on X that portrays Trump as a family man.
The video shows Melania baby-carrying her son Barron outside their lavish home.
She goes to greet Trump and says “daddy’s coming home” as he pulls up in a convertible and says “hello honey.”
“Many may think that ‘Daddy’s House’ is a Father’s Day video. No!’ Winston Wolkoff wrote about X.
‘Millions of Americans watched the Apprentice. Donald was a household name. He needed a woman to look and play the part and let him be the star. Marrying Melania and making her a Vogue Cover model legitimized them both.”
Former President Donald Trump and Melania at a fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida on April 6, before the start of Trump’s trial in New York
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (left) with Melania Trump. She was a longtime adviser to the former first lady before the relationship turned sour
She suggested that the former first couple’s relationship was mainly a business arrangement.
“What catapulted ‘businessman’ Donald J. Trump and his ‘supermodel’ wife to the White House was a mirage created by Survivor producer Mark Burnett and NBC boss Jeff Zucker,” Winston Wolkoff said.
She pointed to a new book by Ramin Setoodeh “Apprentice in Wonderland” in which he admits that Trump would not have been president without the TV show.
The clip of the Trumps in The Apprentice recently went viral online, with users claiming it was ‘rare footage’ of her as a mother – when in fact it was the show’s opening.
Melania Trump holds Barron in a clip for The Apprentice on NBC. The video recently went viral as ‘rare footage’, but it was from the show
In the video, then-TV star Donald Trump concludes the final season of The Apprentice with Melania by his side
Winston Wolkoff’s removal comes as Melania has largely remained out of the public eye while Trump makes a bid for a second term in the White House and fights criminal charges in multiple cases.
The former first lady was not at the ex-president’s side last month during his criminal trial in New York, which included detailed testimony about the ex-president allegedly cheating on her with a porn star.
Legal experts believed that an appearance by Melania in Manhattan criminal court was not necessary to help her husband’s case because the couple is so well-known, but it did spark speculation about her views on the allegations.
After the guilty verdict, Melania was in New York when her husband delivered remarks at Trump Tower, but she did not attend the speech where the ex-president railed against the case and the verdict.
Four days later, Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower with Barron for the first time since the conviction.
Before that, she had locked herself in their home in New York for ten days after flying to New York on May 23.
The former first couple has only been spotted together a handful of times this year.
The pair were spotted at a mega fundraiser hosted by billionaire John Paulson in early April.
Melania, wearing a lavender jumpsuit, smiled as she posed for a photo with her husband at the dinner, which raised more than $40 million for his re-election campaign.
Melania Trump poses with her husband Donald outside a campaign fundraiser on April 6, 2024. The event raised more than $40 million for Trump’s bid to return to the White House, according to his campaign
Melania Trump smiles as she accompanies the ex-president to vote during the Florida Republican presidential primaries in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 19. When asked about campaigns, she said ‘stay tuned’
In March, she accompanied the ex-president as he voted during the presidential primaries in Florida.
When a reporter asked her if she wanted to hit the campaign trail, she simply replied, “stay tuned.”
Most recently, the couple cheered on their 18-year-old son Barron as he graduated from high school on May 17 in West Palm Beach. Trump was granted Friday leave by the court to fly to the event.
The pair were seen smiling and clapping as her only son walked across the stage.
But the former first lady has not commented publicly on the ex-president’s hush-money conviction and has not attended any of his campaign rallies to date.
When word got out that their son Barron could be a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer, her office quickly shot down the idea, saying he had already made a previous commitment.
Melania and Trump at Barron’s graduation ceremony on May 17
While several Trumps shared Father’s Day posts on Sunday, Melania remained silent on social media despite sharing a post on X for Mother’s Day last month.
Winston Wolkoff appeared on CNN after Trump was found guilty of sharing what she said actually happened behind closed doors between the Trumps.
She said she believed Melania was probably direct and told Trump exactly how she felt.
‘Donald was eventually caught and along the way Melania knew exactly who she was marrying. She knew this was a transactional marriage,” Winston Wolkoff said.
“She became a top model, he became a loving, devoted father, and it prepared them for their run to the White House.”
She said Melania will make an appearance if necessary to distract Trump.
The couple first met at a party during New York Fashion Week in 1998. During interviews, Melania said Trump invited her. Trump was still married to second wife Marla Maples at the time, but they had divorced.
Melania first appeared on The Apprentice at the end of the first season as his girlfriend in 2004.
They eventually married in a lavish wedding in Florida in January 2005. Barron was born in March 2006.