Why Melania Trump's Former Adviser Is Calling Her Out Big Time

Growing up in a poor, small town in Slovenia under a Communist regime, Melanija Knavs surely never imagined the path her life would one day take. In a fairy-tale twist of fate, a professional photographer discovered her by chance while she was still in high school. That launched Knavs into a modeling career that eventually brought her to New York, where she met businessman Donald Trump, and the rest is history. In 2016, Melania Trump reinvented herself as the second foreign-born first lady and the first to be a naturalized U.S. citizen. 

Melania acknowledged her background on December 15, 2023, in a rare post-White House public appearance at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. There, she addressed a naturalization ceremony for 25 immigrants from various countries. Recalling her difficult journey to citizenship, Melania remarked, "My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become US citizens" (via CNN). While the former FLOTUS's appearance may have inspired the new citizens, at least one person was unimpressed. 

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania's former advisor, was interviewed on "CNN NewsNight" and asked for her opinion of the speech. "Unfortunately, I find it deceptive, almost deceitful [...] and lacking of any real meaning," Winston Wolkoff asserted bluntly (via X, formerly known as Twitter). "And it's unfortunate because she had an opportunity as first lady of the United States to make a real difference. And she didn't, at all."

While reflecting on her December 15 citizenship speech, Melania Trump declared on X: "I can personally relate to the wave of emotions by the individuals and their families in yesterday's ceremony." This sudden public pride is giving Stephanie Winston Wolkoff major whiplash. In the latest battle in the ongoing feud between Melania Trump and her former adviser, the "Melania and Me" author argued to CNN that it meant nothing for Melania to support citizenship now when she was so quiet on the topic as first lady. Winston Wolkoff decried her speech as a disgusting publicity stunt to boost support for Donald Trump in the wake of his anti-immigrant rhetoric. 

Winston Wolkoff also pointed out her former boss's lack of transparency about her road to becoming a citizen in an interview with Newsweek. "If Melania Trump cared about America, immigration, and citizenship, then she would share the details of how she secured her status obtaining a worker visa in NYC early in her modeling career," she said. Melania acquired her green card through an "Einstein visa," which is normally reserved for people who have demonstrated significant skills in the arts and sciences.

Winston Wolkoff also took to X to add that the former FLOTUS used to tell her not to discuss her citizenship status with the media. It was even a battle to get Melania to support American designers by wearing their clothes. "This isn't about being a Republican or Democrat," she clarified. "It's about AMERICA and DEMOCRACY."