As former president Donald Trump is continuing to stoke the fires of controversy ahead of the November election—and make some Republicans wonder if he’s the best nominee—new drama has evolved surrounding his wife, Melania.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a writer and former close friend of the First Lady, has once again accused her of scandal. The author wrote on X that Melania is confusing “legality and morality” as she launches her new business in selling jewelry. Melania—who had historically low favorability ratings by the end of her husband’s first term in the White House—was also the center of a tell-all book by Winston Wolkoff, which became a New York Times bestseller.
In her most recent criticism of the former First Lady, Winston Wolkoff said that Melania is engaged in “unpatriotic” actions and using national symbolism for personal profits. Jewelry and ornaments which resemble the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the center of the disagreement, with the author claiming that Melania “altered” the award’s image “to monetize it” in her business venture.
She further accused the former First Lady of engaging in “exploitation” that “disrespects [the] symbolic meaning” of the medal.” The award was first instituted in 1963 by then President John F. Kennedy. It is one of the most prestigious honors that can be given to American civilians, awarded by presidents to those who substantially and positively impact the country in areas like national security or world peace.
But the bestselling author has been in tension with the Trumps for years. She worked as an unpaid advisor to Melania when her husband’s administration was being formed. But shortly after the 2017 inauguration of the former president, their friendship dissolved, leading Winston Wolkoff to become an outspoken critic of both the former president and his wife.
Trump, on the other hand, described the writer as a “total airhead” that was no longer working with his wife due to her desire for “publicity.” Winston Wolkoff said that she quit instead of being fired. In 2020, when a book referring to the “rise and fall” of the author’s relationship with the First Lady was published, Melania claimed that her former friend “hardly knew” her and used the book to “distort [her] character.”
