BOOK REVIEW: “Melania and Me” by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Reviewed by C. Ellen Connally

 

Melania and Me – The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady is the latest in what seems like a never-ending string of tell all books by a former Trump insider. This one is penned by former Melania Trump best bud, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.

Winston Wolkoff started her career as a gofer for Vogue magazine. Through hard work and determination, she became the director of special events for Vogue and eventually a successful event planner for the rich and famous.

In 2003, while working at Vogue, she met an aspiring model by the name of Melania Knauss, who happened to be living with millionaire businessman Donald Trump and doing all she could to enhance her career. The chance meeting and eventual friendship would take Winston Wolkoff to the Trump inner circle.

After the election of 2016, she became a senior advisor to the First Lady or more graphically, Melania’s all-around lackey. Because Melania never managed to get the correct paperwork to White House officials, Winston Wolkoff was an unpaid staffer. She trudged on, even when her job became more difficult because the First Lady never made proper arrangements for her security clearance and the correct White House pass. All the while she was paying her own living expenses and separated from her family.

Much of the book deals with Winston Wolkoff’s work as what she described as “executive producer and chief creative officer of the 58th Presidential Inauguration and senior advisor to inauguration chairman.” With the unexpected win, team Trump had to scramble to get the inauguration gala organized. As Melania’s friend, who had helped her plan her wedding and other gala parties, Winston Wollkoff was a perfect fit to organize this event — even though she had no experience in inaugurations. She gave it her all, working long hours away from her family with a group of back-biting, power-seeking insiders who spent much of the $107 million raised with little or no accountability, often over Winston Wolkoff’s objections. There are currently three separate investigations as to how the money was spent, with which Winston Wolkoff is cooperating.

When Inauguration Day came, Winston Wolkoff proudly took her family to Washington, only to find that she was relegated to a standing room only area where you could not see the proceedings — just one of the many examples of the one-sidedness of the friendship with the First Lady.

Melania comes across as a cold and calculating woman who lives in her own bubble, with little concern about what her philandering husband does. She knew what she was getting when she married Donald and seems completely unphased by anything is doing. She agreed never to try and upstage him. He got his arm candy, and she got money and fame. According to the author, Melania hardly reacted to the Access Hollywood tape — she just laughed it off.

Her sole concern seems to be her son Barron, who speaks Slovenian to Melania and her parents, even when Donald is around, and maintaining her privacy.

About a third of the way into the book, I started asking myself why this woman continued her friendship with this self-centered, manipulative woman. Their early friendship centered on monthly lunches and many text messages filled with emojis and syrupy words of affection. Melania never got the names of her so called BBF’s children right and misspelled her name. She never once visited her so-called friend’s apartment. When Winston Wolkoff had serious health problems, she received a few cutesy emails again filled with emojis, but no indication of real concern. When there was a minor request from Winston Wolkoff, there were no responses.

Power struggles between Melania and first daughter Ivanka Trump — referred to as The Princess — are often cited. The two women closest to the President constantly battle for control of the budget that is assigned to the First Lady and who stands next to the President in photo ops.

There are tidbits of gossip, such as how Melania follows in the Trump tradition of stiffing people when it is time to pay a bill, like the guy that designed her wedding dress and inaugural costumes. She refused to use the shower or toilet at the White House until they had been replaced by brand new ones, and refused to move to the White House for the first months of the Trump presidency, claiming that Barron had to finish a term at school. The reality was, she did not want to leave her Trump Tower world and still has no love for living at the White House. There are also revelations of the First Lady’s use a private email server, although her husband spent much of his election 2016 campaign accusing Hillary Clinton of breaking the law for the same acts.

For most of the book the author forgives Melania’s slights and oversights. She based her friendship on being near the seat of power. But it was not like she had not been warned. Early on she had been told of the pitfalls of hanging around with the Trump clan.

It was not until she was hospitalized for an extended period and found herself out of the loop that reality set in. It was then that she realized the true nature of her relationship with Melania. When federal and congressional investigations commenced about the money spent on the inauguration, the other committee members were quick to throw Winston Wolkoff under the bus claiming that she received $24 million — a sum that she disputes. Melania was mum, as usual. Phone calls, texts and emails stopped.

After watching the author in several television and cable news interviews, I wonder if the $15 I spent to download the book on my kindle was worth it. If you are really interested, wait until the book becomes available at the free bookstore — the public library. For the price of a library card its worth the read.

C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection, is currently vice president of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission and president of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.

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One Response to “BOOK REVIEW: “Melania and Me” by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Reviewed by C. Ellen Connally”

  1. Penny Jeffrey

    Thanks for the plug for the library. You can download books to your tablet from the library or audiobooks, as well as borrow hard copies, books on Cd, etc. It’s a bargain, and quick!

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