Digital Cover celebrities© Drew Angerer

Melania Trump’s former aide criticized by former President

Trump criticized Stephanie Winston Wolkoff after she discussed his performance at the debate.


Senior Writer
JULY 1, 2024 5:39 PM EDT

Donald Trump has criticized the words of one of Melania Trump's former aides. In a recent post made on Trump's social media website Truth Social, Trump wrote about Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an aide of Melania who published a critical book titled "Melania & Me" after working together in the White House. 

© Michael Loccisano

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was one of Melania's trusted aides. After leaving the White House, she published a book discussing the end of their friendship

Trump's comment was made after Wolkoff discussed Trump and Joe Biden's CNN debate. In her comments, she said that she thought Biden's poor performance was due to the stage's lightning. "NO ONE HAD TO SAY A WORD," wrote Wolkoff on X. "CNN's carefully considered FRAMING & LIGHTING design effectively conveyed the intended perceptions of fragility vs. dominance in visual composition. Biden was filmed in profile, looking pale as a ghost." 

The former president shared his thoughts on Truth Social. As expected, he didn't hold back. "Wolkoff, a total airhead who was dumped by Melania years ago for being a publicity-seeking airhead who added nothing, had a love affair with the Fake News, and was a boring, small-time loser, now gets into the news again by blaming Crooked Joe Biden's absolutely dismal debate performance on "lighting" (that's a new one!) and the angle of the podium, which he chose," wrote Trump. 

"No, Biden, the worst President in the history of our Country, lost because I beat him, he is not good on the big stage, and he CHOKED!!! Stephanie should start getting her sad life together, perhaps by working for Crooked Joe after he leaves the White House and our Country begins to recover from the tremendous damage he has caused!"

© James Devaney

Melania Trump and Wolkoff were reportedly close friends

Who is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff?

Following Trump's statement, Wolkoff shared another post on X, claiming that she'd never been fired by Melania.  "I must have hit a nerve! Donald J. Trump was angry at my debate post below & spewed his disdain on Truth...Wow! I find it baffling & shocking Trump hired 'an airhead' to produce 18 Trump inaugural events acting as Melania's senior advisor....'Airhead,' I'm not. Melania didn't have the chance to 'dump me.' I QUIT! (And have the letter to prove it!)," she wrote.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has had multiple notorious jobs over her career, including being the former director of special events at Vogue, former fashion director of Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center, and aide to Melania Trump. Her book "Melania & Me" discusses the beginning and end of the friendship between Wolkoff and Melania. According to her writing, the two became close friends in 2003, with the two attending each other's baby showers and birthday parties.