Stephanie Winston Wolkoff slams Melania Trump for promoting Christmas ornaments during Hurricane Ian

While Hurricane Ian barreled into Florida, knocking out power to some 2.6 million people and destroying countless homes, former First Lady Melania Trump was touting her Christmas ornaments on Twitter. 

The former first lady tweeted a link to a Tech Times story Wednesday shortly after 3pm, promoting her holiday collection of ornaments and NFTs for charity. 

At approximately the exact same time, thousands of Floridians were watching in horror as their homes were ripped apart by what is now believed to be one of the biggest storms in US history. 

With 150mph winds and 12ft surges, severe flooding continues to threaten the state and the number of fatalities are estimated to be in the ‘hundreds.’ 

The timing of Melania’s tweet of the article titled, ‘Crypto Watch: China is World’s Blockchain Leader and NFTs on the Rise with Apple, Melania Trump’, couldn’t have been worse.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania’s former senior advisor and former best friend, said she was not surprised she was tweeting about trivial matters at a such a troubling time. 

‘Just when I thought the Trumps couldn’t go any lower. As we witness the catastrophic devastation in Florida, our former first lady Melania Trump is focusing on selling tchotchkes and rehashing something she herself said about Christmas but claiming otherwise,’ she said. 

‘Did she not listen to herself trash Christmas? It’s appalling that Melania is grifting off of Florida’s tragedy in order to remake her image.

‘Hundreds of people are faced with loss of life and Melania Trump wants to sell you digital Christmas ornaments for a roofless house that lacks electricity.

‘This is Melania…she is out of touch with reality and out of touch with the needs of people. For Melania, it is all about money and attention. Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed about her.

‘It took me years to accept that Melania does not care. She doesn’t care about Christmas, she doesn’t care about reuniting split families, she does not care. Period. And it’s sad that a person in her position of power cared so little about so much.’

It wasn’t until earlier today that Melania retweeted a message from USA Memorabilia that she made mention of Hurricane Ian and thanked the first responders. 

But, as Wolkoff added: ‘It wasn’t even her own words.’

Days after announcing her new Christmas ornament collection last week, Melania blasted her former senior advisor for editing recordings to make it seem as though the former first lady was not a fan of Christmas. 

It’s almost two years to the date when Melania was heard on tape saying: ‘Who gives a f**k about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I have to do it.’

‘Melania is absolutely deluded if she thinks she can justify what she said about Christmas,’ Wolkoff told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. 

‘Tell me, how does one edit that statement? You can’t make this stuff up. Nothing in those audio recordings were diced or sliced. Nothing was edited. They speak for themselves. 

‘As I wrote in my book (Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship), I can back everything up.’

‘This is what you call a poorly executed publicity stunt in hopes of gaining some sort of traction for her trinkets,’ explained Wolkoff. 

‘All of a sudden Melania is a Christmas enthusiast? Does she not realize how embarrassing this is, not to mention how incredibly desperate she must be to drag me into her marketing scheme?’

‘Why would Melania rehash what she absolutely DID say about Christmas?’ asked Wolkoff. 

‘Doesn’t she have more pressing issues right now, like her husband and his kids being sued by New York’s attorney general for fraud?

‘Perhaps Melania is now realizing that their net worth is nothing but smoke and mirrors, and that she will have to make her own money? Who knows, but selling holiday ornaments isn’t going to cut it.’

Wolkoff, the former Vogue executive and head of the famous Met Gala had been close friends with Melania for over a decade before Trump became president.

It was then that Melania asked her former best friend to take on the important role of senior advisor to the first lady.

Wolkoff left her position in 2018 after becoming the scapegoat for the Presidential Inauguration Committee’s mishandling of funds, for which she was later exonerated. 

The investigation is now focused on Trump himself and his three adult children, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump.

‘I pressed record after the NYT falsely targeted and accused me of being the recipient of $26 million dollars and then allegedly being fired. Melania told me she was informed by WH counsel because there was an investigation into the PIC [Presidential Inauguration Committee] she wasn’t allowed to say anything on my behalf,’ says Wolkoff.

She recalls Melania telling her to find another hobby or interest and to not take it so hard. She said her hands were tied there was nothing she do to help her.

‘I did what I had to do to protect myself. Once I realized that no one cared about what happened to me, I knew I had to do something. That’s when I hit record.’

While in office, Wolkoff revealed how she was involved in creating a scent for the former first lady that filled the halls of the White House.

‘Melania is still trying to profit off of being first lady, next thing you know she will be hawking her own fragrance line or fashion accessories. Her intent has always been about making a profit, rather than being a public servant,’ the author and mother of three added.

‘Unfortunately, I had a front row seat to the creation and transformation of Melania Trump. 

‘Melania’s image of being this highly sophisticated, international model who spoke multiple languages and cared in any meaningful way about humanitarian and societal issues facing the underprivileged, is a façade.’

‘I was absolutely horrified when I saw Melania wearing the ‘I Really Don’t Care, Do You?’ jacket when visiting the children at the detention center. 

‘I told her flat out that had I been with her, I would have jumped on her so no one could see what she was wearing.

‘The day she visited those children that had been separated from their parents, Melania’s number one concern was being seen by the media,’  Wolkoff claims.

‘She was obsessed with the fact that the media adored Michelle Obama. She wanted the media to take her seriously. Can’t really blame them.’

Melania had blasted Wolkoff and her book saying the author ‘hardly knew me’ and was ‘trying to distort my character.’