'Donald in a suit': Ex Melania aide claims Trump would always choose Ivanka as she's his 'ace in the hole'
WASHINGTON, DC: Is Ivanka Trump overshadowing Melania in the political spotlight? Former Melania Trump aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff certainly thinks so. Wolkoff described Ivanka as “Donald in a suit,” suggesting President Donald Trump would choose his daughter over his wife any day.
Once a close confidante of the first lady, Wolkoff served in the East Wing at the start of the Trump administration in 2016 until their friendship and professional ties came to a dramatic end.
Stephanie Wolkoff talks about strained relationship with Melania Trump
In her tell-all memoir 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,' Wolkoff offers a candid account of her fractured relationship with Melania Trump.
She claims Ivanka Trump repeatedly tried to overshadow her stepmother, stating, “One of the reasons why I wrote 'Melania and Me' in the way that I wrote it... was to highlight the way Ivanka would usurp Melania and all the traditions of the White House. She didn’t care about rules and didn’t care about anyone else.”
Amid growing public curiosity, including commentary from figures like Joe Rogan discussing Trump-related conspiracy theories, Wolkoff also raised alarms about Ivanka's political ambitions.
“She’s Donald in a suit,” Wolkoff remarked, calling her the president’s “one ace in the hole” and suggesting he would always choose Ivanka over Melania. She added, “If Donald had to choose between anyone, it would be Ivanka.”
Reflecting on her fallout with the first lady, Wolkoff admitted it took her too long to see the truth. “People have criticized me for taking way too long to realize that Melania wasn’t really my friend,” she said. “I think I held on to the friendship because I wanted to believe she would come out and say something—anything—in my defense... but they don’t do that.”
Stephanie Wolkoff recounts instances of Ivanka allegedly undermining Melania’s authority
Stephanie Wolkoff’s book also details several moments where Ivanka Trump allegedly sought to undercut her stepmother’s authority, including meddling in Melania’s selection of a new chief of staff. The move reportedly prompted the first lady to label Ivanka and her inner circle as “snakes.”
One particularly tense episode involved a White House screening of 'Finding Dory', organized by Ivanka, which took place as nationwide protests erupted over Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.
Wolkoff claims Melania was furious about the event, sending a string of angry text messages demanding to know who had authorized Ivanka to host it in her residence. “This is my home,” Melania reportedly fumed. “Do they come walking into my apartment in New York whenever they want? No!”
Wolkoff writes that “Ivanka’s fingerprints were all over it,” highlighting the ongoing power struggle between the two women.
Melania Trump pushes back against allegations from her former aide
Trump has rejected the allegations made by Stephanie Wolkoff, dismissing them as self-serving and misleading. In a statement shared with the Irish Star, the first lady suggested that genuine concerns—particularly those affecting children—are often drowned out by the agendas of adults seeking personal gain.
“We all know that, more often than not, information that could be helpful to children is lost in the noise made by self-serving adults,” she said.
Melania also pointed to growing uncertainty among those in her circle, adding, “I talked to a lot of sources today who say they’re questioning everything now—from where they’re going to live after the White House to what their careers will be.”
