A one time close confidant of Melania Trump made an eyebrow-raising claim about the former First Lady’s relationship with Donald Trump amid swirling rumours about their marriage.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who once served as a senior adviser to Melania, posted a clip on X on Sunday from The Apprentice that paints Trump as a family man.
The video shows Melania carrying her son, Barron, as a baby outside their opulent home.
She goes to greet Trump saying ‘daddy’s coming home’ as he pulls up in a convertible and says ‘hi honey.’
‘Many may think ‘daddy’s home’ is a Father’s Day video. Nope!’ Winston Wolkoff wrote on X.
‘Millions of Americans watched the Apprentice. Donald was a household name. He needed a woman who looked & played the part & let him be the star. Marrying Melania & making her a Vogue Cover model —legitimised them both.’
Former President Donald Trump and Melania at a fundraiser in Palm Beach, FL on April 6 before the start of Trump’s New York trial
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (left) with Melania Trump. She was a longtime adviser to the former first lady before the relationship turned sour
She suggested the former first couple’s relationship was very much a business arrangement.
‘What catapulted Donald J. Trump ‘businessman’ and his ‘supermodel’ wife to the White House was a mirage created by Survivor producer Mark Burnett and NBC boss Jeff Zucker,’ Winston Wolkoff said.
She pointed to a new book by Ramin Setoodeh ‘Apprentice in Wonderland’ in which he admits Trump would not have been president without the TV show.
The clip of the Trumps on The Apprentice recently went viral online with users claiming it was a ‘rare footage’ of her as a mother – when in reality it was the opening of the show.
Melania Trump holding Barron in a clip for The Apprentice on NBC. The video recently went viral as ‘rare footage’ but it was from the show
In the video, then-TV star Donald Trump plugs the latest season of The Apprentice with Melania standing by his side
Winston Wolkoff’s take-down comes as Melania has mostly stayed out of public view as Trump mounts a bid for a second term in the White House and fights criminal charges in multiple cases.
The former first lady was not at the ex-president’s side during his criminal trial last month in New York, which included detailed testimony about the ex-president allegedly cheating on her with a porn star.
Legal experts believed an appearance by Melania at the criminal court in Manhattan was unnecessary to help her husband’s case because the couple is so well known, but it did raise speculation about her views on the allegations.
After the guilty verdict, Melania was in New York when her husband gave remarks at Trump Tower, but she did not attend the speech where the ex-president railed against the case and verdict.
Four days later Trump was spotted for the first time since the conviction when she was exiting Trump Tower with Barron.
Before that, she had been holed-up in their New York residence for ten days having flown to New York on May 23.
The former first couple has only been spotted together less than a handful of times this year.
The pair were spotted attending a mega-fundraiser in early April hosted by billionaire John Paulson.
Melania, wearing a lavender jumpsuit, smiled while posed for photos alongside her husband before the dinner which raised more than $40 million for his reelection campaign.
Melania Trump posing alongside her husband Donald outside a fundraiser for his campaign on April 6, 2024. The event raised more than $40 million for Trump’s bid to return to the White House, according to his campaign
Melania Trump smiling on March 19 as she accompanies the ex-president to vote in the Florida Republican presidential primary in Palm Beach, Florida. When asked about campaigning she said ‘stay tuned’
In March, she accompanied the ex-president to cast ballots in the Florida presidential primary.
When asked about hitting the campaign trail by a reporter, she responded simply ‘stay tuned’.
Most recently, the couple cheered on their 18-year-old son Barron as he graduated from high school on May 17 in West Palm Beach. Trump was given the Friday off from court to fly down for the event.
The pair was seen smiling and applauding as her only son made his way across the stage.
But the former first lady has made no public comment on the ex-president’s hush money conviction or turned up to any of his campaign rallies to date.
When it was revealed their son Barron could be a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer, her office quickly nixed the idea saying he had a prior commitment.
Melania and Trump at Barron’s high school graduation on May 17
While several Trumps shared Father’s Day posts on Sunday, Melania was silent on social media despite sharing a post on X for Mother’s Day last month.
Winston Wolkoff appeared on CNN after Trump was found guilty to share what she believed was actually going on behind closed doors between the Trumps.
She said she believed Melania was probably being direct and telling Trump exactly how she felt.
‘Donald finally got caught and along the way Melania knew exactly who she married. She knew that this was a transactional marriage,’ Winston Wolkoff said.
‘She became a top model, he became a loving, doting father, and it set them up for their run for the White House.’
She said Melania will show up when it is needed to be a distraction for Trump.
The couple first met at a party during New York fashion week in 1998. During interviews, Melania said Trump invited her. At the time, Trump was still married to second wife Marla Maples, but they were separated.
Melania appeared on The Apprentice for the first time at the end of the first season as his girlfriend in 2004.
They ended up tying the knot with a lavish wedding in Florida in January 2005. Barron was born in March 2006.