EXCLUSIVE: Melania Trump's former friend reveals White House secrets | 60 Minutes Australia
Summary
TLDRIn this revealing exposé, former close friend and senior advisor to Melania Trump, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, shares intimate insights into the Trumps' marriage and political maneuverings. The tell-all book and interview detail Melania's enigmatic persona, her strategic role in Trump's presidency, and the alleged backstabbing within the family, particularly from Ivanka Trump. Wolkoff's account also addresses the controversy surrounding the inauguration's finances and her subsequent fall from grace, painting a picture of a calculated and often ruthless pursuit of power within the Trump administration.
Takeaways
- 😐 Melania Trump is often seen as a mystery, even to her husband, and has maintained an air of privacy during her time as First Lady.
- 👥 Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was a close friend of Melania for 15 years and became a trusted advisor, helping with the inauguration.
- 📚 The relationship between Melania and Donald Trump is described as complicated and not a typical marriage, with both having their own reasons for being together.
- 🌐 Melania's background as a model from Slovenia and her rise to become the First Lady of the United States is highlighted as part of the 'American Dream'.
- 🤔 Melania is often seen as complicit in her husband's actions, with the public speculating about her true feelings and reactions.
- 🤝 The friendship between Melania and Stephanie soured, leading to Stephanie writing a tell-all book about Melania and Donald Trump.
- 💸 There were allegations of financial mismanagement during the inauguration, with Stephanie accused of pocketing a large sum of money.
- 🗣️ Stephanie claims that Melania knew about the financial details and that she was thrown under the bus when the accusations arose.
- 📖 The book by Stephanie is said to contain the truth about Melania and Donald Trump, and she claims to have evidence to back up her claims.
- 🇫🇷 If Donald Trump loses the election, it's speculated that Melania would prefer to be on a yacht in the South of France, doing nothing.
Q & A
Who is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and what was her relationship with Melania Trump?
-Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is a former friend and senior advisor to Melania Trump. She claims to have been close friends with Melania for 15 years, and due to this friendship, she was made a trusted advisor and helped organize Donald Trump's inauguration.
What led to the souring of the friendship between Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and Melania Trump?
-The friendship soured after Stephanie was accused of pocketing a significant amount of money from the inauguration she helped organize. Melania Trump did not publicly defend her, leading Stephanie to feel betrayed.
What is Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's view on Melania Trump's public persona?
-Stephanie believes that Melania Trump is a mystery to the public, even to her own husband, and that she remains enigmatic on purpose to avoid answering to anyone.
How does Stephanie describe the Trump marriage?
-Stephanie describes the Trump marriage as not typical and suggests it is a strategic, transactional relationship beyond most people's comprehension.
What was Melania Trump's reaction to Donald Trump's alleged affairs?
-Melania Trump is quoted as saying that certain things don't need to be explained, implying she chose not to address the allegations publicly.
What role does Ivanka Trump play in the narrative provided by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff?
-Stephanie portrays Ivanka Trump as a challenger to Melania's role as First Lady, suggesting that Ivanka is more interested in power and personal gain than in supporting Melania.
Why did Stephanie Winston Wolkoff write a tell-all book about Melania Trump?
-Stephanie wrote the book to clear her name and provide her perspective on the events that transpired, after feeling betrayed and thrown under the bus by Melania.
What was the controversy surrounding the inauguration that Stephanie was involved in organizing?
-The controversy was about the high cost of the inauguration, with allegations that Stephanie pocketed a significant amount of the funds. She was accused of receiving $26 million but was only paid $490,000.
How does Stephanie Winston Wolkoff describe her own role in the Trump administration?
-Stephanie describes herself as being in a privileged position as Melania's senior advisor, but also as someone who was eventually seen as trouble due to her questioning and desire to help Melania.
What does Stephanie Winston Wolkoff claim about the Trump family's handling of the inauguration controversy?
-She claims that Melania knew everything about the financial matters related to the inauguration and that the Trump family did not support her during the investigation, leading her to feel betrayed.
What does Stephanie Winston Wolkoff predict for Melania Trump if Donald Trump loses the election?
-Stephanie predicts that Melania would retreat to the south of France, living a life of leisure on a yacht, doing what she's always wanted to do, which is nothing.
Outlines
🌟 The Enigmatic Melania Trump
This paragraph introduces Melania Trump as a unique and mysterious First Lady, who despite being highly visible, remains largely unknown even to her husband, Donald Trump. It discusses the contrast between the public personas of Donald and Melania, with him being outgoing and her being reserved. The paragraph also introduces Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former close friend of Melania, who claims to have been a trusted advisor and organizer of Donald Trump's inauguration. The narrative suggests that Melania's life and marriage are not typical, hinting at a complex and strategic relationship.
🔍 Melania's Strategic Marriage and Public Image
In this paragraph, the focus is on Melania's marriage to Donald Trump, described as transactional and strategic. It discusses the public's perception of Melania's reaction to Donald's affairs and her stoic public demeanor. The paragraph also touches on Melania's role in the Trump family's political and media strategies, suggesting that her actions, including avoiding Donald's public displays of affection, might be deliberate distractions. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff shares her insights from her long friendship and professional relationship with Melania, indicating a deep understanding of Melania's public and private personas.
🎩 Behind the Scenes of the Trump Inauguration
This paragraph delves into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the Trump inauguration, as experienced by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. It highlights the challenges Melania faced, being sidelined and ignored, and the perceived rivalry with Ivanka Trump. Stephanie claims that she was a trusted friend and advisor to Melania, who was 'diving into a pool of sharks' without support. The paragraph also discusses the tension between Melania and Ivanka, with Ivanka seemingly taking precedence in the family's political aspirations. Stephanie's eventual falling out with the Trumps and her public dismissal are also mentioned.
💸 Controversy and Betrayal: Stephanie's Accusations
The paragraph discusses the controversy surrounding the high costs of Trump's inauguration and the accusations of financial misappropriation against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. It details her claims of betrayal by Melania, who did not defend her publicly during the investigation. Stephanie asserts that Melania was aware of all financial matters and calls Melania's silence a 'cop-out.' The paragraph also introduces Stephanie's decision to write a tell-all book, fueled by her need to clear her name and expose what she believes to be the truth about the Trumps. She alleges being thrown 'under the bus' by Melania and discusses her motivations for writing the book.
📚 The Tell-All Book: Unveiling the Trumps
In this final paragraph, the focus is on Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's tell-all book, which she claims is a truthful account of her experiences with the Trumps. She refutes any accusations of falsehoods in her book and expresses her determination to clear her name. The paragraph also touches on the broader implications of the Trump administration's scandals, including the potential impact on the upcoming election. Stephanie suggests that the American public is being manipulated and that the Trumps are part of a larger reality show. She concludes with a prediction of Melania's post-White House life, should Donald Trump lose the election.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Donald Trump
💡Melania Trump
💡Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
💡Tell-all book
💡Inauguration
💡Ivanka Trump
💡Complicit
💡Transactional marriage
💡Public displays of affection
💡Reality show
💡South of France
Highlights
Melania Trump is described as a mystery, even to her husband, despite being one of the most photographed women.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff claims a 15-year friendship with Melania, which led to a trusted advisor role.
Wolkoff helped organize Trump's inauguration but later experienced a soured friendship.
Melania is portrayed as poised, petite, and reserved, in contrast to her husband's brash personality.
Melania's past in Slovenia under communist rule and her journey to becoming a U.S. first lady is highlighted.
Melania's public image is discussed, with comparisons to Jackie Kennedy.
Wolkoff suggests Melania's public persona is strategic and calculated.
The Trump marriage is described as transactional and strategic by Wolkoff.
Melania's response to her husband's public affairs is characterized as political and nonchalant.
Wolkoff discusses Melania's role in distracting from other Trump family issues.
The friendship between Melania and Wolkoff is detailed, including their shared ideologies and common sense.
Wolkoff's role as senior advisor to Melania and her experience with the Trump family dynamics are explored.
Ivanka Trump's rivalry with Melania for the role of first lady is mentioned.
Wolkoff's dismissal from the White House and her subsequent public falling out with Melania are discussed.
Allegations of financial mismanagement during the inauguration and Wolkoff's defense against them are highlighted.
Wolkoff's secret recordings of Melania and her motivations for writing a tell-all book are revealed.
The potential impact of the book on the upcoming election and the Trump administration is considered.
Wolkoff's prediction for Melania's future if Trump loses the election is shared.
Transcripts
just as the world has never experienced
a united states president
quite like donald trump we've not seen
a first lady like melania trump
despite being one of the most
photographed women on the planet
she remains virtually unknown even by
her own husband it's been unkindly
suggested
tonight though that changes stephanie
winston walkoff
says she was besties with melania for 15
years
because of that she was made a trusted
advisor to the first lady
and even helped organize donald trump's
inauguration
but then their friendship soured badly
so what did stephanie do next well
she wrote a tell-all book that really
does
tell all about melania and the donald
[Music]
for outsiders looking at the state of
the union
of donald and melania trump one thing
seems obvious opposites attract
trump he's big and brash we're gonna
knock the [ __ ] out of isis
she's poised petite and reserved
melania trump is one of the most
glamorous first ladies ever
melania has been the first lady of the
united states
for almost four years but unlike her
husband
she's still a mystery melania
does not want people to know who she is
or what she's about
and melania by remaining mysterious by
keeping up that steel wall
she doesn't have to answer to anyone
stephanie winston walkoff
is one of the very few to get close to
the real melania trump
as you'll see they're not friends now
but for 15 years
from the early 2000s they were
inseparable
more than anyone she understands that
trump's
complicated love
this is not a typical typical marriage
or a typical relationship they are there
for one another
they um have a reason for being together
which is beyond
anyone's comprehension um except for
being able to present themselves in a
way
that she brings or she brought some
humanity
to the presidency
it's easy to see how
growing up as a young child in slovenia
which was under communist rule at the
time
i always heard about an amazing place
called america
yes in many ways melania's story
is the american dream
[Music]
at 26 she arrived in the u.s as a model
and soon caught the eye of the ambitious
and audacious
donald trump when they married in 2005
melania became his third wife
i was actually supposed to meet somebody
else and there was this great supermodel
sitting next to melania i was supposed
to meet the supermodel
and they were saying look there's so and
so i said forget about her
who's the one on the left and it was one
you like him right away
it was a great chemistry and energy all
for you
what he got out of it was arm candy a
decade later
she ends up with you know being the
first united states of america
yes can you picture yourself
the first lady yes i would be very
traditional
like jackie kennedy
but it's fair to say that jackie kennedy
never
looked like this at least not in public
they were a little risky but nothing
more than
you see every year in sport illustrated
stephanie winston walkoff says despite
melania's
significant exposure she's never been an
open book
and while she might not like donald's
embarrassing faux pas
grab him by the [ __ ] i could do
anything
he knows his wife will always stare
the other way i was surprised
because that is not the man that i know
[Music]
would you agree in public she she really
looks happy
if she is not unhappy she is complicit
she is um no different than her husband
what is their relationship i mean is it
a marriage made in heaven
with these two calculating people you
know
i mean i have been saying it's a
transactional marriage and it is because
i started to realize that everything
they did
had was was um strategic
well what you're talking about is an
incredibly
cynical marriage but if she knew
who she was marrying and she's happy
with what she's got out of it
where does that leave the public
embarrassment stephanie
you've got a woman who's married to this
guy who has an affair with a playboy
model
and then a porn star and we're talking
only weeks after his
son is born and she's still recovering
they were meant for each other what
woman what what what
what normal woman could actually
handle that none for her
it was just politics it's just liberal
media
it is what it is i know who i'm married
certain things don't need to be
explained with an explanation i mean
those are her words
he wanted the spotlight he's a showman
and she was willing to do what
she needed for her which was to stand by
her side
so all of these speculations about her
heart and how she's feeling and melania
and melania
everyone should just stop because
there's nothing there to feel
[Music]
she seems to have this habit of dodging
donald's public displays of affection
and we've seen that a number of times
is that a little bit weird so i think
what people are
forgetting or missing is that donald
and melania and the trump
family um are masters of the dark
and i think that whenever he needs
something to distract away from
something else
melania plays a role in that and then
all of a sudden everyone's talking about
her hand swat
which is to me she's literally
again they are aligned in a way
that everything is done for a reason
nothing just happens ah
you think that's on purpose 100
so there has to be again you have to
understand who they are
to understand what they're trying to do
which is fleece the nation like which is
completely make you think one thing
because
that machine behind them is so powerful
i'm very strong people they don't really
know me
people think and talk about me
the
like oh melania oh poor melania
don't feel sorry for me don't feel sorry
for me
i i can handle everything
for years stephanie worked at vogue
magazine
in new york it was where she first met
model
melania they hit it off immediately
melania and i our friendship was based
on
her ability to stay calm her ability to
have the most general common sense it
was a very
you know our ideologies were not spoken
about politics was not spoken about
it was just the two of us and so
i always felt great after i left seeing
her i felt confident i felt
assured i mean she really gave me that
boost of
um you know energy
their friendship blossomed into a
working relationship
when melania became the first lady
stephanie was announced as her senior
advisor
but as he's off in the way business and
pleasure
don't always mix and the friendship
disintegrated
stephanie is there still a tiny part of
you
that likes melania
no not at all
you knew this woman as a genuine friend
for 15 odd years how could you get it so
wrong
i know i gave her the benefit of the
doubt i wanted to believe
coming up melania had no one i knew she
was diving into a pool of sharks
and how it all went well people did not
like me asking questions
politics and power is ivanka jealous
of her stepmother inside a bloody white
house
stabbed me in the back and sliced me on
the neck and threw me under the bus
that's next
on 60 minutes
[Applause]
when donald trump was sensationally
elected president
four years ago the new first lady
melania
turned to her close friend stephanie
winston walkoff
to help coordinate her husband's 100
million dollar
inauguration stephanie's connections
in the fashion world as well as years of
experience producing
new york's famous met gala made her the
perfect
choice for the job it was her first
glimpse
into the colliding worlds of the trump
family
and washington politics when i was first
asked to
um produce the inauguration i did so
with honor
as i was doing this i realized that
melania had no one and i mean
no one helping her and i was her friend
for 15 years
i was someone that she trusted and
someone that she knew would watch out
for her
and when i saw what was going on during
the presidential inauguration committee
planning
um i knew she was diving into a pool of
sharks and then i needed to have her
back
because no one else would
according to stephanie right from the
start melania trump
was pushed aside and often ignored
it quickly became obvious there was a
challenger
for the role of first lady donald's
daughter
ivanka no one cared
to take care of melania trump people
were only interested in making sure that
ivanka trump was taken care of is there
normal communication between
melania and ivanka do they ever just sit
down and talk to each other in a room
about what's happening that day
not very often you know it used to be
more cordial
when the children were younger they did
look up to melania um
but now you know power does take its
place
and it holds a very critically important
you know part of all of their
being now and yet listen i ivanka just
wanted to usurp the first lady
her interests were her own it's what
ivanka can get out of this for herself
why is that
is ivanka jealous of her stepmother or
is melania just
a bit bitter because she knows that
ivanka is donald's
favorite daughter melania's accepted the
fact
that and did accept the fact and she
kept saying to me
this is the way it's going to be why do
you care so much and i kept banging my
head against the wall because
it's not just the way it should be but
that's ironic isn't it because
you're telling me you really wanted to
make a difference a genuine difference
and here you are working for a so-called
friend of yours who
seems like she just couldn't care less
in the beginning she did care
and that's the difference here's the
thing
she has succumbed to her stepdaughter's
ability to squash her as the first lady
to do anything effective to affect
change
um and she's just going to ride out
this time and um
that makes you complicit then if you're
not you stand up and walk away
so when people talk about this cold war
between melania and
ivanka it's over ivanka has won
in my opinion yes
if donald had to pick between you know
branding ivanka or branding
melania well he's already shown us who
he's branded right
and the fact that he's literally getting
ivanka ready to become a president
and already putting that in people's
minds is just insane
as melania trump's senior advisor
stephanie winston walkoff occupied a
privileged position
for almost the first two years of donald
trump's presidency
but this forthright and opinionated
woman
was increasingly viewed as trouble
[Music]
i really had a lot of questions and
people did not like me asking questions
i was a problem um they wanted me out of
the white house
i was seen as being divisive because i
wanted to help the first lady
i was being seen as devices as melania
told me people were jealous because i
slept
over i was being devised because i
was so close to her and understood what
she needed to do but also i had the
experience to
help her execute everything she that our
country needed to do this
[Music]
like with so many other trump staffers
tears
were inevitable they came when an
official investigation was launched
into why the presidential inauguration
stephanie had helped organize was so
incredibly expensive
information was leaked to the media and
she was accused of pocketing
26 million dollars
but instead of standing up for her her
friend
the first lady swiftly and publicly
dumped her stephanie is adamant
she was the victim of a political hit
they said at one stage your company was
paid 26 million
u.s i mean that's about 34 35 million
australian
and then we heard that eventually you
were only paid 480
000 i mean is that figure right
that is right the 490 000.
yes but that also included you know
again planning the inauguration working
for melania during the inaugural for
free
bringing all my relationships my
contacts and working 24 7 for her and
then also
the year and a half at the white house
did melania know about the money
melania knew everything that i knew
because we spoke about it all the time
yes
could she have defended you publicly if
she had wanted to
one billion percent however she said
that due to the investigation she could
not
due to the fact that she was not a
private citizen she could not and you
know that that's a cop-out
oh i know it's a cop-out and i have all
the evidence
to prove it's a cop-out which you are
currently
sharing with investigators which i'm
currently
sharing with investigators they
destroyed my character once
i'm not letting them do this again
[Music]
and not only is stephanie winston
walkoff sharing what she knows
with investigators she's also sharing it
with the world again as with many other
exes
in the trump administration she's
written a tell-all book
[Music]
donald and melania are said to be none
too pleased
i want to talk to you about the truth
because the white house
says that the first lady is angry
with you because you overstated
your relationship with her in order to
write a book
filled with falsehoods yes i've read
that
what did you expect them to say has the
book got any falsehoods
in it the book doesn't have one
falsehood i can back up
every single thing in this book by one
or another way of transmission and i
mean
everything you secretly record
melania trump i secretly recorded milan
trump after i was accused of almost
being
i was accused of being a crim criminal
activity
he was no longer my friend
i was thrown to the wolves
are you suggesting that she took
advantage of your trust
hundred percent no doubt
stabbed me in the back and sliced me on
the neck and threw me under the bus
what about your motivation for writing
this book
i needed to clear my head i needed
clarity i
i've been living in my house for three
years
i've gone out maybe a handful of times
i have three children
i'm sorry you okay
they took my life away from me in a
matter of seconds
the life i built for myself and my
children and my husband and my family
was crushed by this
this machine a false narrative
and no one took any
desire to even want to figure out what
the truth was which was where's the rest
of the money
in the list of scandals that's defined
this president's
first term in office whether there's
money missing
from his inauguration celebrations
probably
doesn't rank that highly but stephanie
winston walkoff
says with an election to decide if
donald trump receives
a second term only weeks away it is
vital to discover the truth
there's something very interesting in
the way that when you take a really big
step back and you stop focusing on the
um the moments um
that you realize that america and
people are just being played to
and we're all on a reality show right
now and we really are
if donald trump loses in november what
becomes of melania
she'll be in the south of france on a
really big yacht with a really big brim
hat
doing what she's always wanted to do
nothing
hello i'm liam bartlett thanks for
watching to keep up with the latest from
60 minutes australia
make sure you subscribe to our channel
you can also download the nine now
app for full episodes and other
exclusive
60 minutes content
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
Melania Trump Ex-BFF on Melania GONE MISSING
Katie Johnson's full testimony of 2/11/16
Melania Trump Full Speech at Republican National Convention (7-18-16)
Joe on the Trump Assassination Attempt
H.R. McMaster on 13 months working for Trump
‘It’s terrifying’: Former Trump aide on Laura Loomer working in Trump’s White House
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)