Although first lady Melania Trump and her stepdaughter, White House adviser Ivanka Trump, are often seen to have a good relationship, a new book by Melania’s former confidante reveals that it was not the case behind the scenes. Excerpts from the upcoming book revealed a feud between the two women.
The upcoming book by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, titled “Melania & Me” is set to hit bookstores next week on September 1. Excerpts from the book have been revealed about the extent of the feud between Melania and Ivanka inside the White House. One notable excerpt teased “Operation Block Ivanka,” which was reportedly an effort between Wolkoff and the First Lady to keep Ivanka from being positioned close to her father Donald Trump during his inauguration in 2017.
“We were all exhausted and stressed out. Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty. Melania was in on this mission. But in our minds, Ivanka shouldn’t have made herself the center of attention in her father’s inauguration,” wrote Wolkoff about the effort.
Wolkoff also revealed Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner’s efforts to reportedly undermine and “control” the first lady, noting the time Ivanka tried to take over the first lady’s office in the East Wing. This has since been disputed by an official stating that Ivanka usually worked on policy issues in her father’s part of the White House, the West Wing. She had also previously revealed the nickname Melania had for Ivanka, which was “Princess,” while Ivanka nicknamed her stepmother as “the Portrait.”
This week saw Melania deliver her speech in the Republican convention from the White House Rose Garden, which she had renovated. Aside from praising her husband, Melania also mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it has had on Americans. The first lady also noted the racial unrest surrounding the country, calling for peace and unity while mentioning the country’s diversity.
Despite being praised for acknowledging racism in her speech, there were those who questioned the contradictory statements she made, especially regarding cyberbullying and gossiping on social media. Former GOP congressman Joe Scarborough made his opinion on the first lady’s speech clear during his show Morning Joe, calling out the hypocrisy as despite advocating against hurtful or hate comments on children especially adults, Melania stayed silent when her husband would attack his critics on social media.